


Nichole and Julius

by eng050599, stevegallacci



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Oblique references to sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 15:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 90,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13743801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eng050599/pseuds/eng050599, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevegallacci/pseuds/stevegallacci
Summary: Originally created as a rule 63 dodge for some relatively harmless rule 34 art work abuse of our favorite characters, it quickly became an alternate straight retelling of the Zootopia story with twists and turns. Street-wise Nichole Wilde meets super ranger scout Julius Hopps in a less comedic/more police procedural version of the tale. Also includes an alternate version of Celeste, the little coyote girl.





	1. Chapter 1

About the time Julius Hopps was doing his little Zootopia presentation back in Bunny Burrow, the teen Nichole Wilde was working the hard streets of that less than sterling city. 

There was Finn, in position, and Nichole slid past, doing a perfect dip, a pass off to Finn, and then they were off. 

A block later and no sign of discovery, they checked out their catch. Finn rifled though the wallet, tossing cards aside, looking for any tucked-in bills beyond the obvious main bill pocket. Enough marks kept an extra twenty or better stuffed away as emergency money to make the effort worth it. No luck there, but seventy-three in cash was not bad. 

Nichole made a face and picked up the other scattered content and demanded the wallet back. Finn made his own sour face, "Really? You're actually going to turn it in?" 

"Dropping it in a mail box is not exactly 'turning it in', and we're only after the bucks. Loosing all those cards and stuff can really mess with their life." 

"Since when did you care?"

Nichole gave the little Fennec a hard look. It was uncaring moments that helped put her on the street, and she was having second thoughts about her own previous actions. "Needlessly hurting others is a mistake."

"You only now get that?" He snarked. She had been full of bitter rage early on and could get needlessly destructive or violent. But that didn't last; he would have dumped her in a hot second if she proved to be a psycho-chick. 

As it was shaping up, though he might have age and experience over her, she had the creative brains. This pickpocket had been just a quickie for some working cash for a scam she wanted to try. And the beauty of it was that it was on the cusp of legal, or at least something tough to prosecute. 

That was another change. She was pushing eighteen, and while she hadn't been caught yet in any of her more overtly criminal acts, she seemed to be very aware of how hard an adult felony conviction might hit. And anything that would keep him out of jail again would be more than welcome as well. 

"So, what now?" 

Nichole considered, "There's nothing more we can do tonight for The Plan, but we could hang out down on the Ave." 

That sounded fine, many of the other street kids and their tales of woe were a source of schadenfreude for the cynical little fox. So much of their situations were so obviously self-inflicted. That's why he'd helped his Vixen; she had been screwed with and screwed over for no fault of her own. Simply being a fox was enough for the world to dump on her. 

True, he had some thoughts early on about tapping that red treat, but she all too quickly became something more like a kid sister and he her big brother. No bigger turn off than that. But they were partners in adversity together for now. 

He looked her over, still a bit skinny, but she'd be a real looker if she got into something other than her somewhat retro punk look. Pink, slightly ragged tights, massively oversize Def Bat t-shirt, in black, of course, purple tips on her ears and tail, heavy mascara. The multiple piercings kind of squicked him though, AN ear rings was one thing, a whole hardware store hanging off various body parts was very much something else. 

Of course he was the epitome of classic cool, white T, poly-leather biker jacket, blue jeans, welder-goggle dark aviators. Perfect. Now, if he were only two or three times his current size. How he hated being dismissed, the double whammy of small and fox. 

The walked down the Ave., the retail district adjacent to Zootopia University. There, students and student age mammals hung out; with plenty of things both up-scale and downscale to do. Finn and Nichole knew some of the regulars, homeless street kids who eked out a living, mostly panhandling or doing somewhat sketchy things to get by. A few they even considered friends. On the other hand, there were the wannabes; comfortably upper class types who wanted to go slumming for a little action. 

Nichole took most of their ill-gotten cash to hold, but let Finn have ten, to play the wannabes in several little scams and such. There were all kinds of classic street action, and the suckers were easy to find and take. The locals knew Finn and played along, he'd buy them a beer or spot them some cigs later for their help. After a bit he had doubled their total, but was generous with his tips, at some point he might need a little help and they might provide if they could. 

Nichole was learning, but for now refrained from doing too much. She found that being a vixen brought about unwanted attention of a rather more sorted type, as 'of course' someone like her was peddling something more. There were a few things that she might try, using her gender to distract, but for now, she really didn't want nor felt she needed to stoop so low. 

True, The Plan depended on her being a bit of a distraction, but not at such a crude level. 

As they were feeling a bit flush for cash, the two indulged in some awful greasy pizza. Then, heading back to their crash space, Finn picked up a six-pack. The little fox could get moody, and would knock himself out by chugging them all down. 

"You don't need them tonight do you?" She didn't like him doing that to himself. She didn't know what his problem was, only that, whatever it was; his reaction was to slap it down fast and hard with way too much alcohol. 

"Just stocking up for the future, Ruby-Butt." 

Later, while Julius is in High School

"I can't believe she did this to me!" Nichole pointed to her laptop. Finn shrugged and trotted over to see what the ruckus was. He refrained from laughing, but instead gave an impressive whistle. There she was in her altogether, a sequence of nude photos. 

For Finn, it was too much. All rather artsy rather than the kind he preferred, but he just had to make a scene of it. "Dang, Hot Stuff, you got it going. But ya ought to show some pink, ya know."

"FINN!" Nichole was shocked, but only for a second as she saw how he was just ribbing her. Then she grumped, "Why did I ever trust her?"

"Yeah, as I was sayin', ya know, back when you got into that with her." Finn had smelled trouble from the first. Nichole and that Arctic Fox had gotten rather friendly, and his natural suspicions about her and her intentions appeared to have been justified. 

Nichole went though the sequence of images again. They were pretty good, classic art school type poses, technically well done. And she did look good in them. Her lean form and well-groomed coat were clearly being loved by the camera that day. And she was glad she hadn't agreed to any, more girly, poses. Nothing too 'pink' as Finn had put it, but shots that would have been a bit much for her if made public. 

"But why did she put them on line?"

"Pro'ly 'cause she couldn't sell them." Finn pointed out. "Artsy snaps are a tricky market, or so I'm told, especially for this kind of subject." He gestured to her, a fox. "And they aren't showing enough for the skin rags. And, again, 'cause its just a fox bitch." 

Nichole didn't mind the words; it was just his bitterness in how the world viewed their kind. 

"So, what's the plan for the day?" Finn conceded to Nichole. He was the boss, obviously, but grudgingly had to admit that, though never out loud, that she was very much the brains.

Nichole gave him a look. For once, Finn was simply asking, rather than playing at alpha male. He could be such a dick at times. She had to get her own living space when he got his new van, as she couldn't stand to stay so close to him 24/7. That, and while the van was tricked out to function as a studio apartment for the tiny desert fox, it was just too small for the two of them. 

"Well, we're pretty flush at the moment, so how about simply scoping out new territories?" Nichole now routinely held the money, as Finn could get a little stupid sometimes. Though the pair were now well-practiced con artists, Finn was still a sucker for get-rich-quick schemes that had a veneer of legitimacy, as though advertised on TV meant something. 

They sauntered across Savanna Central plaza, as it was the bustling heart of the city, and with the influx of rubes coming out of the train terminal, could be a great potential for action. Or might have been, as Nichole noticed the security cameras and conspicuous police presence all around. They'd been working less populous locals before, in no small part due to less surveillance. 

"So much for that. We wouldn't have a chance with all the coverage here." She pointed out the issues, though Finn wasn't paying all that much attention. 

"What you lookin' at?!" He snapped at a passing antelope of some sort, and grabbed Nichole's paw possessively. He'd been paying way too much attention to all the looks they had been getting from passersby. Though Nichole was wearing a perfectly conventional outfit, well, the Pawhiian print blouse as a bit gaudy, the skirt and tights under were the very model of modesty, she was still getting the stink eye from many. Especially in combination with Finn and his crisp polo shirt and slacks. Obviously a Fox whore and her Fox pimp to all too many there. "Let's get out of here."

Nichole looked down to the distressed Fennec, While she had been able to work up a facade of 'never let them see that they get to you', Finn was still more volatile, and she could tell he was as much hurt as angry at the negative attention. "Come on. This was a mistake. Let's go down to the garden district and get you a cold one." 

As they changed course to leave, they both noticed the ZPD officer angling for an intercept.

"Finn, be cool."

The officer was an Elk, who eyed the pair with obvious suspicion. "Going anywhere in particular?"

"Just enjoying the vistas of our wondrous city, Officer." Nichole said brightly. 

"Uhuh. IDs?" The Officer was under impressed.

Nichole and Finn pulled out their identity cards; Finn barely contained a growl as he handed his over. 

"Careful, cubby." 

The Fennec hunched his shoulders, his face twisted in suppressed rage. Noticing the clenched fists and poofed tail, the Officer took a step back and put a hoof to his baton. "Officer needs back up." He called into his radio. 

Nichole put her hand to her face. If it wasn't so awful, it would be comical. Finn was less than knee high to the towering Elk. Yes, he was angry, but he hadn't actually done anything. All three saw another Officer in the distance approaching, and in that instant, the Elk had his baton out and pushed more than hit Finn to the ground with it. "You're under arrest."

"For what?" Nichole raged, though was careful not to move. 

"What ever you two were up to." He spoke to her but kept his eye on Finn, sprawled on the ground, pinned under the massive baton. 

She couldn't believe it - no - yes she could. They had been jacked up before, but never so blatantly. It would likely turn into several hours of hassle and some trumped up fine, never any criminal changes. Basically a shake down for being foxes in public. 

The second officer came up, a huge Bull of some sort. "What is it?"

"A couple of suspicious characters." Said in an 'isn't it obvious' fashion. 

"Let me see." And the Bull scrutinized the pair's IDs. "Are these current?" 

"Finn's address is out of date, he's staying with me for now." Nichole knew they could, if they wanted to get petty, arrest and/or fine Finn for living in his van. Even having an out of date address could get him into trouble, but she had allowed him to use her address before in similar situations. 

The Bull looked at the Vixen and the Dog and the Elk, and pushed the baton aside. "Sorry for the inconvenience. The ZPD has been getting reports of petty crimes in the area, and some of our officers can get a bit - over zealous..." He offered a hoof to help Finn, who only gave him a suspicious glare back. 

"Here is my card. If you feel you have an issue with the ZPD over this incident," And the Bull and Elk exchanged a look of venom, "I can be contacted at this number." 

Later, as Finn lay in a stupor, smelling of what ever cheap and vile booze he had used to get that way, Nichole stroked his head and ears, more to ease her own tension, as he was gone for the moment. It was times like that when she understood his pain all too well. That kind of humiliating abuse was his common currency. That Officer's intervention was a surprise though. And what a silly name. 

Then on Julius's first day on the job. 

"So, why the new location?" Finn fussed over the change in plan. 

"The last shop was catching on. I tried to do a solo buy the other day and they tossed me out." Nichole was looking smart, the perfect image of an urban professional's wife, if she would just choose a less garish top, her and her gwad-awful Pawhiian blouses. Finn was stuck in his similarly gwad-awful elephant onesie, the baby game was horrible, but it paid well enough. 

The pair were more business acquaintances than partners nowadays, but still kept in close touch, after, what, nearly two octades (there are a couple hints in the movie that they use base-eight) together. Nichole was ever better at 'victimless' hustles and Finn was content to just be the hired meat for the various acts. 

The new shop wasn't panning out though; the Elephant behind the counter had an attitude about Foxes, even a cute little guy attempting a little toot toot. Then a ZPD meter maid, well, meter male, popped up. 

"I'm an officer, actually, Julius Hopps, ZPD..."


	2. part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Along with the obvious gender swap, I'm also tweaking the base story a bit, taking the tack that the movie was a dramatization of the actual story, made more 'interesting' with extra action and comedic inserts and somewhat contrived logic at times, rather than a more no nonsense police procedural.

Me and my big mouth, Julius raged to himself. The enormity of what he had just committed to was beginning to sink in as he left Bogo's office. After all the years of dedicated focus on getting to wear the ZPD uniform, he had just hung everything on this now Quixotic quest. Of course he was going to give it his all, he was Julius P. Hopps, after all, and the idea of disappointing the poor little otter lady was unthinkable. 

That's the stuff. Now let's get to it. 

And then he saw the file, or lack thereof. But, there was a clue in that cute brush on the edge of the security camera frame. And maybe a little pay back. 

He had felt so played, so flustered, yesterday with that sharp Vixen that his cop brain hadn't caught up with the circumstance. She sure knew how to push his buttons, a surgical strike into the middle of his insecurities. But not today.

Using one of the other officer's workstations, he did a little refresher on the various codes and statutes, then called up what he could on this Nichole L. Wilde. Surprise, it didn't seem to be an alias or fake name. And, the more he dug, the more a plan emerged. 

Gah, how he hated the clown car, but that's all he had to go with, and armed with what he had found out, he was able to track her down without too much trouble. 

"Hello, Ms. Wilde. I'd like to ask you a few questions about a missing mammal." 

"Officer Toot Toot. Playing real cop today?" 

Julius made a face and then held up an all too sweet family photo of an otter and his family. "Seriously, I'm trying to track down a Mr. Otterton. He's been gone for two weeks now. Do you know him?" 

"I know everyone." 

"And I know you were among the last to see him before he disappeared."

"And?" 

"And I'd like you to help me find him." 

"Why would I help you, Officer?" Nichole gave him an icy look.

Julius was a bit taken aback by that. Though he expected some small resistance, he didn't expect such overt hostility to such a reasonable request, even from the likes of her. 

"Or, I can arrest you for all of your criminal activity." 

"What 'criminal activity', I've got my papers in order." 

 

"Well, there is the matter of the health code violations for the manufacture of the pops, not that you have a license for that step. And your general business license also didn't include a food vendor permit, or health inspection, and I bet you haven't been filing any sales tax on the proceeds. And I can't wait to see what your income tax data might look like."

Julius had just the slightest touch of glee in seeing the honestly shocked expression on the Fox's face. 

"Then there is the matter of the 'red - wood', technically a food waste item, not dealt with properly, doubly so that, having been in some mammal's mouth is now a bio-hazard waste issue." 

"So, I don't know if a judge would include jail time, but there would be a TON of fines, and revocation of all your permits, and given the extent of the violations, likely permanent. And an extended probation, so we can keep a very close eye on you. Not that you'd do anything actually illegal." 

He could see that her shock was turning to anger, and maybe just a little hurt, but that was likely just another play. 

"But. On the other hand, with maybe the exception of the pop manufacture," And at that, Julius made a little 'ick' face. "These have been largely technical crimes, short cuts for someone on the edge of society to make a go of things." His implication was obvious. Also, while she didn't have an adult criminal history, she did have a juvenile record and several social worker notations. As much as she'd jerked him before, he had a little context and wasn't going to hold a grudge - yet.

She gave him a dirty look, he was still a condescending jerk, but he also was so disgustingly earnest in his desire to make the world a better place. And she had heard about the missing mammals. "Okay, Officer Shake Down. I help you find this otter, and what, you just happen to forget me and my transgressions?" She gave him a more overtly poisonous look, "Or then you'll bust me anyway and you get a two-fer." 

Julius grimaced. In a lifetime of scrupulously honesty, and where he had enjoyed unquestioning trust, this stung. He paused to collect himself. Then, "Ma'am, cards on the table. I'm in a jam with my boss. He gave me two days to find Otterton or I'm out the door."

Nichole was a bit surprised. Was this some kind of hustle? On one hand, he was dripping in fresh-off-the-turnips-truck rube, and his vibe was Ranger Scout cranked up to eleven. But he was also a cop, and they had never done anything but use their authority to keep her kind down. Then a question came to mind. 

"Why or how did you connect me to Otterton? Yeah, I saw him and know where he went. But that was two weeks ago."

"I know." He confided, "They had a traffic cam image of you and him. That they never followed up makes me wonder as to what kind of clown show they have going on with the investigation." He hadn't considered that. Weren't they taking this seriously after all? Bogo seemed almost dismissive in the initial announcement, as though it was more of a nuisance from City Hall than a real case. 

"Damnit." Julius finally said in realization. "Look, the rest of the ZPD doesn't seem to give a pellet about this, but I met his Wife. And the rest of the missing mammals have wives and families and all that. I joined to help them, not be just some guy with a badge. Will you help me?"

Nichole was honestly surprised. This crazy bunny might be the real thing after all. "Okay. I don't happen to have anything going on at the moment. But you're buying me lunch." 

"Whatever it takes. And thank you." 

Nichole regarded the bunny boy. He really was something. But she still had some suspicions. Sure, she'd help him, but maybe test his resolve in the process. This could be fun.

And boy, was it fun. Nichole knew they didn't need to go into the Oasis Springs compound to get the info on Otterton and the taxi he took, pumping Yax more directly would have been easy enough. But to see his look, especially in how he seemed so embarrassed for her sake as much as his own squick-out. Totally worth it. Old school gentlebeast, or total cherry-boy? Bunnies are supposedly total sex machines, and he isn't that young, but who knows? 

And he didn't cheap out on lunch. 

Nichole found that she was getting invested in the case. She knew Otterton, just slightly, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt for the little fellow and his family. Maybe sticking around to see how it ends was worth it. 

Julius was delighted, he now had a trusty native guide to the city. And she seemed willing to bounce ideas back and forth on the case. He didn't know how much, or even if she was all that shifty after all, but she was sure sharp, and he delighted in her witty asides. 

Finding Manchas from the Taxi Company was no stretch, though the cryptic non-answers at the dispatch center about his current status was troubling. Then, of course, there was his own cryptic comments before going crazy savage. 

"Carrots, he could've killed me, thanks!" Nichole gasped, still recovering from the chase and looking on at the secured big cat. 

"Carrots?" Julius gave her a puzzled look. 

"Yeah, 'cause you guys eat 'em all the time. Ya know bunnies - carrots?"

"Actually we don't, more of a grass and greens diet. Too much sugar in them, can mess us up." 

"Another pop culture image destroyed." She theatrically lamented.

They both noticed the scream of police sirens and saw that the cars were heading to a lower level, likely where his comm, and its GPS, had dropped. Seeing that the Jaguar wasn't going anywhere, they picked their way down to rendezvous with, what appeared to be half the total ZPD. 

Julius became increasingly dismayed recounted the events of the last few, see the incredulous glances from his fellow officers and the dismissive comments from his Chief. Then, when arrived at the location that they had left Manchas secured, he wasn't there, nor were his cuffs. 

"So, this 'savage' mammal is also a magician?" The big Bull was now thoroughly disgusted with this bunny-based farce. 

"Sir, he really was right here. Ask Nichole, she was with me the whole time."

Bogo looked Nichole up and down and he sneered in distaste, "Believe a - " Wasn't going to say that, even though she undoubtedly was one, "Fox?" Turning back to Julius, "You've wasted enough of the department's and my time already. Badge!" 

Julius could think of a myriad reasons why this was so wrong, so unfair, so arbitrary, so plain stupid, but the Bull had the power. There was nothing he could do. 

"No." It was Nichole. "What happened to the righteous cop I knew back at central?" 

The Bull pulled back at that. 

"Yeah, we've met before. What is it with the ZPD anyway? Does it make everyone in the ranks specie-ists as well as lazy and stupid?" She stood toe to toe with the massive mammal. "I was an easy lead in your missing mammal case two weeks ago, and it was only today did anyone bother to ask me about it. Him!" She pointed at Julius.

"Sure, I can see why it wasn't a priority for you, being all preds, ya know, but what's with the rest of you?" She glanced at the mixed group of officers. "Don't any of you care? Or are you all just too dim to do your jobs?" 

She waited for an answer, but saw the collection of big beasts were more angry at her daring to challenge than anything she had actually said. 

Not waiting any longer, she grabbed Julius by the arm, "Come on, at least one cop in this damn city has a job to do."

Bogo let them leave, scowling more to himself than at the two little creatures. 

Once on board a sky gondola to get back to downtown, Julius turned to the firebrand who was now glumly gripping the railing, "That was - wow. But what that about with the Chief?"

"The Buffalo didn't jack me up years ago. I almost thought there was still one honest cop in the city." 

She looked out on what would otherwise be a spectacular vista and sighed. "Other than the kind of violations you caught me on, I've never done anything more overtly 'criminal' since I was a kid. But that didn't stop the cops from rousting me for just about anything they might want to pop me for. Never actually arresting me, of course, that would need something like real probable cause. Just being a fox wasn't quite enough."

"I know," Julius added with a guilty twinge. "I did my research. Sounded like you had some bad times earlier on." 

"Yeah, being a fox, being a vixen, is pretty much the shittiest end of the stick." She rubbed her brow, "Even as a kit, especially in a next to no pred neighborhood and the only fox in the school. Even as a little kit!" She wasn't going to tell about how they had gone on about her, the slutty bitch, and how they had - hurt - her. No. She wasn't going to share that sob story with anyone. 

"So, I gave up on trying to conform, to play by the rules. What difference would it make anyway? I'd never be anything but a shifty fox to everyone anyway." 

But when she looked at him, she was surprised. She could tell if he was simply buying her tale of woe, but there was something more. "So, you've got a story to tell too." 

"Oh, boy." Julius sighed. "I would have been just another country bunny, but wanted to do more, be more. To be a cop." He made a face, "Though to tell the truth, in retrospect, I could be a self-righteous little snot. But no one would take me seriously. Of course a rabbit couldn't be an officer. I was 'uppity', even in my family. Even with a pile of my own kin around, I'd get thumped by the class bully and they never backed me up. Likely figured I'd get some sense knocked into me."

He gestured to himself, "But here I am, trying to make the world a better place, despite their best efforts." But at the moment he didn't look like he believed that. 

'So, what do we do now?" Nichole pondered, "It wasn't like Manchas could get loose by himself."

"I wonder if there is any security footage? But it isn't like anyone is going to bother to look." Julius was realizing that he wasn't going to be taken any more seriously here than he had back in the 'Burrow. "And if he was taken, there might be enough traffic cams coverage to follow where he went." 

"But will you be able to get access to them, now that you're on Buffalo Butt's shit list?"

"I didn't have my own access to the system yet before, so very not likely now. But, I might have a friend in City Hall."

Getting the attention of Assistant Mayor Bellwether wasn't hard; Hopps was the bright new boy of the MII and the ZPD. Moreover, he had shown Dawn some courteous concern after Lionheart's rude handling of her at the graduation ceremony as well as their meeting at Bogo's office. So she was delighted to help in his investigation, and was half-tempted to linger after she showed him the system access in the little cubbyhole. Not that Julius was paying any attention. Well the Ranger Scout was going to do his duty, and that was going to work out just fine. 

Once she was gone, Julius signaled to Nichole, who was trying her best to be invisible in the common area. "I got in, no problem."

Nichole looked around, sniffing. "Why would the assistant Mayor spend so much time here?"

Julius gave her a look. "I though she had been dumped on hard and this was her office?" 

Nichole gave him a look in return, "While she may well be Lionheart's scutter, she does has a proper office and everything." She took a closer look at the computer display. "This looks like a pretty high-level access link, not the kind of thing you'd expect in records storage." She poked at a few keys, "And it is off-account. An anonymous connection." 

'Well, it does give us access." But Julius offered Nichole the control, "You know the city better, so go to it." 

And so they saw the capture of Manches, and the subsequent drive out to, presumably, the old sanitarium out of town. As they left the records office and down to get the clown car, Nichole had a thought. 

"If there's a bunch of wolves out there, we're going to need some mask-all. They might not be the brightest lights, but they've got the best noses. So if we need to get sneaky, were going to need it."

Julius was impressed. He had totally missed that detail. Along with the obvious overall spraying of the scent reducer, Nichole gave herself an extra long shot up her skirt, "A girl can't be too careful." And she half-expected him to react. 

He smiled, "Too many sisters to be embarrassed by that." 

"That's right, you have gazillion siblings, don't you?" 

"Sort of." He tuned conspiratorial, "We rabbits have a thing about numbers, so the temptation is to count as many kin as possible in the family totals. So, while my folks might claim something like nearly three hundred offspring, only a couple score are actually their issue. The rest are cousins and such." 

"That's still quite a lot." 

He shrugged. He wasn't going to mention the rather high mortality rate and iffy fertility rate that kept the rabbit population more in check than most realized. 

"And you?"

'Nope." There was finality in that which Julius was not going to pursue. 

Finding and infiltrating the old Cliffside Sanitarium proved to be easier than expected. It was remote, long closed, and the weather was getting nasty, so it wasn't the kind of situation in which there was going to be a lot of guards standing around getting their tails soaked. They were shocked with what they found. After getting some good images and transmitting them back to the ZPD, once they were able to convince anyone to actually believe them, bless that Clauhauser, they sat tight for the cavalry to arrive.


	3. part 3

The missing mammal case was now solved. Julius was able to triumphantly read Mayor Lionheart his rights as he was hauled to a transport with Nichole smugly looking on, amid a cluster of rather large cops. The on-sight commander to the mass of police on hand waved Julius over, "Chief Bogo needs to talk to you and your friend as soon as you back to HQ." 

"I bet he does." On one paw he felt vindicated, but on the other, this episode had not been exactly a team building exercise, and he dreaded to discover how many bridges might have been burned in all this. 

The drive back was rather quiet. Though the Rabbit and Fox were still a bit jazzed that they had broken the Big Case, they knew their future was still out of their hands. 

Back at precinct one, there were some high-paws and congratulations. The pair made a special point to thank Clauhauser, who, though now off shift, had hung around to see the new hero. 

"Clauhauser, you really saved our butts, not to mention brought the case through. I was afraid no one would care."

The big cat looked a bit mixed, "I know about what happened back in the rain forest, and wasn't suppose to respond to any more of your traffic. But I knew it wasn't right. I know a bit about not being taken seriously." 

"After dispatching the units, I was on my way to getting suspended when the first confirming calls came in from responding officers." He did not look relieved. "I just hope things will sort out okay for everyone."

"They wouldn't begrudge you your choice, would they? I mean, the case is solved." Julius looked to Nichole, who did not look at all supportive. 

"To save face, throwing anyone under the bus would be totally par for them."

Julius looked a bit dismayed, "Well, if we're going to get chopped, let's get it over with." 

Chief Bogo did not look happy. But he didn't look directly at the pair of mammals standing before him in his office. Instead he looked at a wall covered in plaques and framed certificates and photos.

"Its not that I don't care, but rather I can't afford to care. To get emotionally invested in a case, or in a fellow officer, when, more often than not, the case ends in tragedy or failure, and I've buried too many - friends. We were working the case, but it was just another in an avalanche of soul-sucking cases that make up our lives every damn day. In retrospect, there were lapses, critical ones. Ones a fresh face was able to catch."

He turned to the pair. 

"I owe you a special apology, Hopps. I got stuck with you and was too quick to assume you were 'just a token bunny'. And that first bit of showboating didn't help. You're still awfully green, but you do deserve a better chance."

He then focused on the Fox. "I do remember you - ?" He groped for a name. 

"Nichole."

"Nichole. And you were more right than you know. Having to deal with all manner of actors, and all too often it ends up being the same sort, it becomes too easy to simply stereotype. The same grind that numbs us to the grief around us also desensitizes us to those we should be dealing with as individuals." 

She could see his face, twisted in self-reproach. 

"I have to thank you for reminding me of what I ought to be doing, rather than what I've slid into doing."

The meeting closed with reassurances that Julius' status was now secure, and a reminder that he needed to be on hand for a media event in the morning. 

"Well, congratulations, hero of the hour." Nichole quipped. 

"Yeah, and all glory is fleeting." Julius reminded. "So, you just helped solve a major case for the ZPD. Now what do you want to do?"

"I don't want to go to Dizzyland." She shot back.

Julius gestured, "I mean, what do you want to do now?" 

"Buy me dinner?" 

"The least I can do for my partner." 

"Partner?" Nichole pulled up short with that. 

"Well, yeah, at least for this episode. And tomorrow. You've got to be there. You were right there in it with me on all this. Literally could not have done it without you." Julius said in his best 'isn't it obvious' presentation.

Nichole made a face. "Ah, you blackmailed me into helping you with the initial lead, then I felt sorry for Otterton and stuck around for him. And to see where things were going once I got sucked in." She didn't look at all impressed. Then she cracked a great grin and grabbed his arm. "Okay 'partner', so where are you taking me?" 

"There's a Bugaburger across the plaza?" Julius shrugged. "I've been in town for less than a week, so don't know anywhere to eat."

"Oh really?" Nichole made a wicked grin. "I know a place..."

Okay, it looked like something out an Edward Hopper painting, but it was some of the best basic comfort food Julius had ever had outside his home warren. He looked across at his unlikely dinner companion. That she was a fox didn't seem to matter at the moment. 

She had proven to be the most refreshingly witty and, dunno, companionable creature. Sure, she still had a bit of a chip on her shoulder; he was the embodiment of her oppression after all. And she would likely be gone after tonight, as he didn't expect her to stick around to make the media thing in the morning. 

But he wished she would stay. 

"So, what's on your mind, Carrots?" 

Julius looked away in small embarrassment, "Was thinking how - interesting it would be if you were my partner." 

Nichole was incredulous, "Me? A cop? That's so many levels of not happening. The Buffalo aside, I wouldn't have a chance. They'd never let a fox on the force, especially a vixen like me."

"Umph, a vixen like you is exactly what the force needs. Likely more than this hick bunny." 

She gave him a look. The super Ranger Scout had a point, as he had nothing, beyond good intentions, to recommend himself to urban policing. 

"Isn't going to happen. One, the institutional bias is too ingrained. Two, a Vixen is simply too small for the job. And three, why would I even be interested?"

"Well, If you do try, and succeed, you can be the kind of subversive element that could transform the ZPD from the inside. I can see you thriving on tweaking the system, both for your own entertainment as much as actually nudging it into something better." Julius smiled at the though of her snark in the morning briefing. 

"And you're already bigger than I am. Maybe with a little pumping up, you'd easily be more physical than me." He made a little show of his 'guns', however it was in wiry strength rather than bulk, so was not at all convincing.

Nichole got a little chuckle out of that, recognizing the intended joke. But she had been on the street and largely off the grid for nearly two octades so far, and the notion of a full-time job, even less that of a cop... Sure, she had the freedom of making her own hours, and the financial insecurity of the ebb and flow of the hustles of the day. Pawpsicles were just an occasional seasonal thing. And the ongoing threat of victimhood. No health or retirements plan either. 

"If nothing else, make the press conference tomorrow."

She did make the event, and wish she hadn't in the worse way. First, the poor dumb bunny lost control of the narrative, playing into leading questions by those media maggots. But the kicker was, over and above the BS notion that the various preds were reverting somehow to their primitive, savage nature, but that preds were, in general, uncivilized and criminalistic, even without the savage attacks. 

Julius stepped down from the podium in shock, this had gone so badly. Despite the encouraging look he got from now acting mayor Bellwether, he knew he had badly misspoke. He had half-believed the notion of preds having some latent savagery in them, but to hear it coming out of his mouth like that. Was he really as biased, specie-ist as he sounded? Then he saw Nichole.

Though her ears were pressed back, hunched and hackles up, and poofed tail lashing in rage, it was seeing the hurt, the sense of betrayal in her tearful eyes that made him pull up short. "Criminalistic nature?" She hissed. 

"Nichole, I messed up." 

"There," She pointed to the podium, "Or here?" pointing back and forth between them. Not waiting for an answer, she stormed off. 

"Nichole, wait!" but she was gone. 

Now, months on, those few minutes still were the focus of his thoughts. His body was, for the moment, busy hauling another load of firewood up to the roadside stand the family sold produce out of. With the changing seasons, the harvest stock changed, and in the winter, it was cords of firewood and winter vegetables. 

For now, he was stacking up fresh cut wood for drying; the multiple cords already on hand a testament to his efforts. To indulge his sense of self-flagellation, with a barn full of chainsaws and power log splitters, he was doing this all with just an antique bow saw, axe, hammer and wedges. His only accommodation to modernity was the power chipper used to reduce the smaller branches to mulch for various garden uses. 

If he had felt isolated amid some hundreds of kin before, in his chronic funk, he was now actively avoided by nearly everyone. On this particular trip up to stack more wood, there was his Mother and Father along with some other folk and family and a delivery truck. He knew they were getting baked goods from someone, based on their produce, so this might be the source. 

"Gideon Grey?" That was a surprise. That fox had been his nemesis as a kit. Now the family was doing business with him? That just made his visit complete. He saw his Father gesture to him. 

"Hey JP, meet our new source for the baked stuff. Took your example to heart." 

"My example? I don't...?"

"Expanding our horizons, going beyond our old habits." The old Buck looked at his Son with concern, "I'm just so heartbroke that your brave effort didn't pan out." 

That was a major gear shift, then his meeting with the now humble and contrite Fox was yet another. Then, head still reeling, the final 'night howler' piece fell into place. 

Bang Bang Bang

Who ever was disrupting Finn's beauty sleep had a baseball bat for an answer as he opened the back door of the van. 

"Whathehey do You want?" He hissed at that damn bunny who wreaked his partner and closest thing to friend he ever had. 

"I need to find Nichole, please!"

"Why, so you can bust her too? Not like that would be a bad thing at this point, at least they have a suicide watch." The last was said more to see him twitch. She was too resilient to ever get that bad, at least not in any active way. But he knew how a fox could waste away in despair, and she was not in great shape.

Julius rather satisfactorily flinched at that, then, "No. I figured out the whole case, the real case. Lionheart was just trying to contain the results. All these preds going savage, they were affected by a chemical agent. They were targeted. And I need Nichole to help me pull together some clues so it can all be stopped!"

"Are you shitting me?" The tiny Fox was incredulous. "So why don't you do your cop thing?"

"I quit after I shot my mouth off back at that damn press conference. I've been back in Bunny Burrow where I belong ever since."

Finn gave him a look. That's were he went. Nichole had half-heartedly tried to find out about him for a while, but he had seemed to have dropped off the map. She had taken it as active avoidance. 

"So, before I go running back to them, I need some solid evidence to convince them that I'm for real. That's where she comes in."

Finn thought a moment. "Okay." And he gave the damn bunny instructions on where to find her. Once he was away, he got out his 'phone. "Hey, Ruby-Butt, guess who just came by looking for you?" 

And there she was. In tank top and shorts, basking in the sun on a beach chair, a drink at her side, stylish over-size sunglasses kept her reaction to him covered.

"Nichole. I failed you. So totally. But I'm here to ask you to help, not me, but the city. And all the preds who have been targeted." He saw her ear flick at that. "Yes, it was a chemical agent, derived from flowers, called 'night howlers'. It wasn't wolves or anything like that. I didn't know the common name, just that formal Latinate and stuff." 

He sighed, "You have every right to hate me. And I can never make up for the betrayal of you, and of everyone else. But I do ask that you help me end the situation with the attacks." 

He sat down on the bank, his head resting on his crossed arms on his knees. "I've been so sick with regret, seeing you like that. And know there is nothing I can do to undo all the hurt." 

"You could offer to buy a girl a drink." Nichole peeked from under her sunglasses. He could see she was looking drawn, her eyes looking not so different than his own in their months of pain. 

"So, what's the plan?" She was awfully matter of fact about this whole thing, and Julius was not going to break the odd tableau, merely tuning his head to better look at her. 

"Otterton was a florist who had dealt with the type of flower, and he was coming back home after not connecting with a botanist friend when he went savage, or more accurately, attacked. Maybe it was to silence him. We didn't follow up with the botanist with all the 'fun' with Manches." 

"But I busted a guy for stealing bulbs before that, and maybe he could lead us to whoever is doing this thing."

"What have you got? I know everyone."

Weasleton was easily found, but not impressed with Julius' plea for civic responsibility, but sung a very different tune when they called the ZPD on a terrorist chemical attack charge. And at that point, Julius was able to tell the investigating officers and Bogo about what he had learned about the 'night howler' as chemical threat. 

They were very impressed, and began strategizing as to how to proceed. They were concerned about trying to scout the location. Bogo was loath to commit a sizeable force to an unconfirmed location. If they were not there, the action could warn them that they were being sought. It was Nichole who had a suggestion.

"So, lover, you got a spot in mind?" The slinky vixen purred to her 'date'. They were in the closed metro station for a little privacy. 

"Yeah, I was told about an abandoned trolley down in the service siding." The rabbit grinned and wrapped his arm around her just a tad more. "Doin' it in one of the cars would be just like my first time." He leered. "Buddies dared me and my date thought I'd chicken out." 

"You're not going to creep out on me?" She seemed just a slight bit uncertain, peering down the dark tunnel.

"Uhmph, you've got the better night vision, sweetie. But since you already have all my cash, its not like you can roll me either." 

"Okay. A trolley car isn't the kinkiest place I've done it in." 

They cautiously made their way down the tunnel, the rabbit snuggling up to the fox, pawing around her body and tail.

"Hey, careful what you grab, bunny boy. Save some of that for the car." 

'Oh poo, you're just the most scrumptious thing. Wonder how'd you'd taste." And the rabbit made little nom noms in her direction. 

"If you're any good at that, I'd give it to you for free." 

"Oh, yeah? How 'bout a taste of my carrot?" 

"As I told you before, that would be extra." 

A blinding light and a yelled "Hey! What the hail you doin' down here!"

The Ram looked at the dubious pair, a vixen in a skimpy dress and very obviously nothing more, and a disheveled looking business bunny, stinking of drink. He loomed over the pair, his muzzle twisted in disgust. "Get out of here you degenerates." He added more than a few additional choice words as the pair scuttled back out of the tunnel. 

Fifteen minutes later the night howler extraction lab was secured by the heavily armed TUSK strike team. 

Nichole was relieved to be out of that awful dress. Even in her worst days, she could never consider that kind of 'work'. She knew of too many girls who ended up in very bad situations, if not killed, in the 'business'. And she had other issues regarding sex in any circumstance. 

And there was Julius, back in uniform, and looking like he belonged there. "I just heard from the strike leader that a couple of the rams are looking to roll on their boss in all this." 

"Who is?" 

"Can't say yet. But I'd like to get your help with that as well." Julius was warily hopeful. 

Nichole was also unsure about things. They had gone though the preparation and execution of the scouting as cool professionals and it seemed, in those moments, it was like they had never been apart. That they were busting those who had added an extra level of awful to her existence as a pred in the city was oh so gratifying. And Julius' sincerity in his efforts to do right by her and the city was touching. 

"In for a dime, in for a dollar, Carrots." She finally sighed. Then, "Taste your carrot?" and made a face. 

"Well, it was the role, and went well with the yummy fox thing." Julius blushed massively at that. 

Then, finally, the mayor's office.

"Officer Hopps? You're back with the ZPD?”

“Yes Ma’am. And finishing up my case.”He noticed the nearly new computers on her desk. “Changed out your systems, I see?" 

"You know, constantly upgrading." 

“And the old ones?” 

"I sent them through normal surplus or E-waste procedures, I guess. Why do you ask?" 

“We’ll be tracking them down if they went through normal channels. These warrants will answer all your questions. I do hope you haven't wiped the memories, though the servers will have the bulk of your activity, and our forensics ought to be able to reconstruct the contents anyway." 

"Whatever for?" 

"Oh, Criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism, conspiracy to commit multiple acts of potentially lethal assault with chemical weapons. And a few miscellaneous other charges." 

"Really, how creative." The sheep looked only slightly annoyed. 

"Oh, and I forgot, all your personal computers, tablets, and 'phones. The ZPD is at your home about now to see what they can see as well." Julius did his best to be professionally polite, but a little part of him was enjoying her rising ire. 

"How dare you!' 

"Temper." Julius warned, "You don't want to say anything more that might be incriminating." He tapped his body cam. 

Then Nichole and Chief Bogo entered the room. 

"Hey, Julius, guess what? Just like you guessed, the other computer hasn't been touched in months. And everything is intact." Nichole had used the unit before and knew about how it was configured. 

"What?" Bellwether finally seemed concerned.

"Well, after you set up Lionheart with the idea of the Cliffside containment then let us bust him as a distraction, you got a bit lazy. Didn't need to monitor the containment crews and all that, so forgot about the computer in the files room. Right where you left it back then. Ought to have a lot of interesting history on it." 

Bellwether was visibly stunned. 

Julius turned to his Chief, "Sir, why don't you do the honors. I don't want to be the hero two times in a row." 

"Are you sure, Hopps?" Bogo gave Hopps a look, then shrugged. "Dawn Bellwether, you are under arrest...."

As the Sheep was led away and the crime scene team began to pick up the pieces, Nichole and Julius looked at each other. 

"Sooo, what next?" Julius was entirely prepared for her to drop him for the specie-ist hypocrite he still felt like. 

Nichole looked at the poor bunny boy. Did he deserve a second chance? Maybe. "For now, you still owe me a drink."


	4. Chapter 4

Julius was more or less awake, but as Bogo had given him the day off after the arrest of Bellwether, he had been lounging in bed for the last couple hours. So decadent, it was after eight in the morning, especially after a life where six or earlier was the norm. And it was in familiar surroundings; he had been able to get his old apartment back. Apparently it was a difficult unit to fill.

But, there was the 'phone. A Bunny Burrow number.

"'ello."

"Way to go big Brother!" It was Jenny, "Now big hero of Zootopia!"

"What are you talking about?" She had been one of his pesky little sisters, though among the least of the non-supportive ones, she mostly delighted in being his general-purpose critic. 

"It's all over the news! Busting the mayor, solving the savage pred case! I just saw the press conference! And who's the Fox?"

'No. I just pulled together some clues with Nichole and the ZPD did the rest."   
Glob, what was going on? Press, conference? What did Bogo say?

"Nichole, eh?" Jenny leered, "The two of you looked awfully scrumptious together. Better late than never and better a fox than nobody, the way you were going." 

"Jenny, I don't know what - Hang on, I got another call." And the next call became a whole queue of calls in an instant. All from Bunny Burrow, the rest of the family, no doubt. He put them all on voice mail.

He went to his laptop to find some news feed. Oh Glob, it was worse than he feared as he went from source to source. He found a clip of Bogo's press briefing. "This young rabbit officer, seeking to redeem himself and save the predator population from these cruel poison attacks which jeopardized all of our safety, found the cause and, with his Fox friend, exposed the conspiracy." Then there was an image, a candid shot of Nichole and him, apparently taken by one of the CSIs after Bellwether's arrest. They were looking at each other just so. 

"That bastard!" He fleetingly considered re-resigning. But no. Duty called. He began to work up his in-depth report. The preliminary last night only got the ball rolling on the criminal prosecution. This one had to be the tediously nit-picky version that the DA's office would use to for the court case. After a fair outline and a few key points fleshed out, he realized he'd Nichole's recollection. But he would have to be careful, least they be accused of ginning up a story together. Maybe talk to the DA about that step. 

But thinking about the Fox, he ought to call her, let her know that she was now hot news. But what time was it? Nearly eleven, even she ought to be up by now.

"Whaha huh? uhm?"

"Good Morning, my dear fox." 

"Er zatoo? Argh. Juliush, wha' are you doin', callin' me at such a glob-awful hour?" 

"It's nearly noon, and I didn't know if you had heard the news yet."

-Groan- "Does the term 'nocturnal' mean anything to you awful diurnal creatures?" A pause, "What news?"

"We're now the hero saviors of Zootopia. Buffalo Boy Bogo blabbed about how we single-handedly saved civilization itself. And there is a picture of the two of us."

"Oh Glob, not the undercover stuff!" She had done herself up as a 'slutty bitch' for that, not something she was comfortable with.

"No, just a shot of the two of us after the Bellwether arrest. Uhm, we look 'friendly' in it." 

"What? A photo of me? Now I'm screwed. Being 'famous' don't make for good business, if you know what I mean?"

"Or you could parlay that notoriety into some new deal?" 

"Like what, soliciting free perks? 

"That too."

"You're not suggesting that I actually consider the ZPD, do you? 

"What better time?"

"Well, with all the potential media attention, there might be some questions about my background. As I told you before, I don't have a real 'criminal' past, but appearances are everything."

"Well, for now, I'll need your help finishing off my formal report, and you'll likely need a supplemental statement or two." 

"Cops and your paperwork. Yet another disincentive. So, when and where?" 

"I'll make some calls. Maybe do brunch, then off to the precinct?" 

"That's something I can do." 

Much later, after many grueling hours of writing, and some picking and poking from one of the DAs to make sure everything was clean and clear, Julius and Nichole were more than ready to leave the precinct. Now if they could just get past Clauhauser. After seeing the image of them together, he was atwitter with 'the cute couple'. While they looked like they might get a clean getaway, they didn't count on Chief Bogo.

"Nice work on the case. Shouldn't have any problems later in court."

"Thank you, Sir. Just hope the Rams come through with their testimony."

Bogo only shrugged. Then, "I'm glad to see you're sticking with us so far." regarding Nichole. 

"As I told Officer Hopps, in for a dime, in for a dollar."

"About that. Hopps thinks very highly of you, so much so that he floated some wild ideas my way." 

Nichole turned on Julius with a sharp look. "Damnit! We were just talking! Talking! Now you're setting me up with him?!" There was that same look of betrayal in her eyes. "I can't believe it!" 

"Nichole, I was only exploring some options." Julius was confused, this shouldn't be a thing. 

"But they were options for my life! My Life!" She was furious and he was beginning to see why. 

So was the massive bovine. "Ma'am, Ms. Wilde, there was no intent to intrude. Hopps just wanted to see if there were any foreseeable obstacles and how to deal with them. He and I strategize on some options and issues. I assume he was going to simply have some answers for you if you were to discuss it."

He held out a massive hoof, "No tricks, no pressure, no schemes to maneuver you into anything. I honestly think he is concerned for you, not as he might want you to be, but whatever way you actually go. This was just an exercise to see that particular way clear." 

He gave the rabbit a look, "Right?" 

Julius was still too shocked, too gut shot to say anything. That he would so badly cock things up a second time was too much. He couldn't breath and had to sit down. 

Bogo saw what was happening, "Hopps! Don't you do this!" And he hit the rabbit hard. As he was in the process of sitting, Julius was particularly unprepared for the blow, and shrieked when it sent him across the hall and into a wall. He lay gasping in pain, but breathing nonetheless. 

Bogo gestured the Fox to say well back as he went to the stricken rabbit. Keeping his bulk between Nichole and his Officer, he whispered, "Hopps, you okay now?"

"Thanks, I needed that." 

"What's it between you and her? You almost ..." 

"I know, but with her, I just don't know. Damn over-emotional rabbits." 

"Chief! Is there anything wrong?" Other officers had heard Hopps and several anxious faces peered around corners. 

"I need a bus for Hopps." He called out, then helped get Julius laid out a bit more comfortably. "How bad is it?"

"I don't think you broke anything, low mass kinetic energy exchange, ya know." 

"Lucky you." Bogo looked over his shoulder, "What about her?"

Julius groaned, more in indecision than pain. Finally, "Let her make her own decision. And, obviously, be totally honest with her. Well, about everything other than this."

Bogo made a face. 

As there was a medivac on standby adjacent to the precinct, a team was on hand in just moments. Bogo whispered to the medtechs and they had Hopps up and out instantly. 

Nichole stood off throughout in stunned disbelief. Then, as Julius was whisked away, turned to the Buffalo and gasped, "What in the name of all just happened here?"

Bogo looked down at the small mammal and considered a moment. "Hopps asked me to be totally honest with you, save one detail. But you need to know even that." 

"You know how potentially emotional fragile rabbits can get. Literally scared to death and things like that." 

"Yeah - ?"

"Well, apparently, Hopps had a very bad reaction to your outburst." 

"What? Why?" Then she remembered the look he had, the realization that he had wounded her. She'd seen it before, in that fleeting moment back at the press conference, and under the bridge. How the Ranger Scout was trying so hard and failing so painfully. 

"I don't get it. We hardly know each other."

Bogo rolled his eyes. "That Bunny is all about overachievement. Not only the first to try, but became top of his class at the academy. Now the first duty cop in Zootopia." He sighed. "And he takes the consequences of his failures awfully hard. Once he saw the impact of his press fiasco, he quit. Not for the mistake, but seeing how it hurt everyone else."

He gave the Fox a studied look. "I'd guess he wants to be your knight in shining armor. But, like you said, there's a lot he still doesn't know. Like how you don't want a 'savior'."

"Oh really, Mr. Insightful?" That Bull was a clever one.

"I haven't been a cop for as long as I have without knowing that you haven't been out and about as long as you have without an independent streak a mile wide. And the last thing you want is that over weaned Ranger Scout trying to manage your life 'for your own good', of course."

"Isn't he though?" She was beginning to like Buffalo Boy. In a sharp, slightly adversarial way. 

"But. Like I said before, we were just working up answers in anticipation of questions, not plotting your downfall." 

"Yeah, I got my hot buttons and he has his 'tilt' switch. Such delicate flowers." Her tail swished in indecision. "So, what are we going to do about him?" 

"We?" The Bull gave Nichole a particularly arched eyebrow. 

"It looks more like he's the one who needs some helpful guidance. And who better than us, a couple of city slickers to hustle the country Bunny? 

"Do you have dinner plans?" 

"What about Hopps?" 

"He'll be under sedation for a little while, but we can try to see him later."

"With the Chief of Police? Why, I'd be honored." 

So, over dinner, the two discussed all manner of things. A little of Nichole's back-story, carefully redacted, and her thoughts on socio-political ramifications of Bellwether's plot. Then, finally, some discussion about career choices. 

"You really wanted to be a judge growing up?"

"It was a family thing. But I eventually realized that I wanted to be more proactive. So I became a cop, originally a provincial constable, but the big city drew me in right away."

"And now the chief?"

"Too managerial and politically astute for my own good." 

"Wish you were back on the street?"

"Yes and no. There is the visceral desire to be out there, face to face with the citizens, and side by side with my comrades." He made a sad face. "But not all threats are on the street. Bellwether was only the worst and latest threat from city hall. Seems like all too many politicians find the law a selective option in the face of their ambitions."

"But we're here more to talk about you and Hopps." And the Bull leaned in for a keen not quite smile. 

"Me and Hopps? Wait, it isn't like we're a couple or anything like that." 

"No. But you seem to have a natural chemistry as partners. And he needs someone with real street smarts to help him survive in the real world of the city." 

Nichole gave Bogo a massive 'you're full of pies' look. 

"True, you'd have to go through the academy first, so he'll be teamed with a veteran officer until then."

"Wait a second, you're not suggesting I'd go out as a totally green rookie with him only half-baked do you? Isn't this supposed to be a multi-year process?"

"Normally, yes. But you've got more street time than nearly all my current beat cops. Moreover, you have the experience of seeing things from the other side of the badge. And I'll bet you already know more of the statutes and processes by heart better than most of the academy grads already?"

"Well, not counting Hopps." And she smiled at the recollection of their first meeting at Jumbeaux's.

"Yeah, he's got the book stuff down pat. But he's still the overachieving hero wannabe. It was only dumb luck that his first day's bust ended up critical to the Bellwether plot. Between the other seasoned cops and your moderating influence, you don't look like one to take stupid chances, he'll actually make a good all around cop."

"And me?" Nichole half-frowned.

"Well, it's been my experience that the reformed sinner, so to speak, can make either the best saint or worst zealot. And you seem too cynical to go zealot on me." 

"Sainthood?" Nichole made a little pose. "But that's if I buy into this madness."

"Well, the next academy cycle is in a couple months. Plenty of time to think it over." 

"You're a terrible beast, you know that?" 

"So I've been told." Then, looking at his watch, "Well, Hopps ought to be settled by now, so we should check on him, eh?"

"But nothing to Hopps about anything for now."

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Bogo hitting Julius was a bit of a jump-the-shark over-done bit, but I kept it in anyway. So please don't ping me too much over it.


	5. Chapter 5

"I thought you foxes were all about endurance?"

"I think you have me confused with wolves, and even they go on at an economical gait, not this death marathon pace."

"Uhmph, or is because you're so Old? Little old lady fox?"

"Yes, I'm old, too old, now take me back to the retirement home, you cruel kit!" 

"How about I entice you with some fresh blueberries from home?" 

"Lies! No way you could have gotten anymore."

"But if I did?"

"No one is that cruel." 

"Well, if you don't pick it up, we'll never know."

"By the way, you're getting better in the get up in the mornings."

"You know, This used to be going to bed time."

Yes, and we durinals have no respect for the natural sleep cycles of you nocturnals. But if you're going to be on a day cycle, better to get used to it well in advance." 

"You know, being a cop is a twenty-four hour gig, so who's to say I can't do the over-night shift?"

"Than who would you partner with? I'm worthless at night."

"Yeah, about working in the dark. Then how do you guys deal with all the burrow biz?"

"Whiskers in narrow warrens the before time and electric lights since then. Besides, if I brought a light onto the scene it would mess you up, so either I'd be blind or you'd be." 

"More importantly, the Academy is all daytime classes. So you need to be up and alert all day."

"And remind me why I'm actually going to DO this?" 

"Because you want to make a world a better place?"

"Fah!"

"Because you found a higher moral purpose in life?"

"Hah!"

"Because you can't stand the thought of this clueless hick of a Ranger Scout on the mean streets by himself?" 

Nichole stopped rather suddenly and her mocking smile left her. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that."

"Like what?" Julius was noticing that any version of that self-depreciating description was setting Nichole off more and more. 

"I'm sorry I ever said that." She avoided looking at him, "And can we leave it at that?" 

Even though Julius was a bit piqued at that, there was something more there, but he wasn't going to push it. 

Back at his place, to cool off and change, Nichole quickly stripped off her running gear and plopped onto Julius' bed. "Gah! I need a back rub." She pleaded. 

"Aren't you forgetting something?" 

"Humph! Back rubs take priority over blueberries."

"Oh dear, you must be hurting then." 

"Damn right, see what your cruel abuses have reduced me to." 

Julius looked at his clock, there was enough to time to give her a pretty fair massage and brushing before leaving for work. He found he really liked giving her these attentions, both for in how much she enjoyed the care and in the action of administering it, how it settled him as well.

He began, and her hums of relief quickly faded into a faint snoring buzz. Was she actually asleep? Maybe, she still was having a hard time with the day scheduling. No matter. He worked his way down her spine, kneading the muscles. As he approached her lower back, she arched a bit, and a bit of a pleasurable hum, maybe she was only dozing. Then she hitched up a bit more and her tail swept off to the side...

"Oops. Not going there." he whispered. He quickly pulled a cover over her and quietly picked up his change of clothes and gear to dress in the common down the hall bathroom. 

Now that was 'awkward'. An involuntary reaction on her part, no doubt. She wasn't 'in season', but he knew that manual stimulation could get things stirring at any time. But nothing like this before. Well, she wasn't exactly awake this time. He'd like to think that they were best friends, but nothing like that. And it wasn't a species thing either. He'd simply never thought of them in a particularly gendered way, at least not a sexual-social way. 

He kind of liked playing the role of the gentlebeast for her, old-fashion customs and courtesies. Especially knowing how disregarded she had been in her life heretofore. At first, she thought he was just mocking her, but once she realized it was sincere, she seemed to enjoy the attention. 

But her as 'girlfriend' or even 'lover', oh no. That seemed like just asking for complications, if not real trouble. He had never had much of any friends, and that he seemed to click so well with her filled a need that he didn't know he had. Now, having a good friend, a comrade, a confidante, the extra twist of a more intimate relationship might put that in jeopardy. 

But enough of that. He had his shift at the ZPD to do and she could recover and, presumably go back to her own apartment to do whatever she might do.

Nichole stirred. Where was the Bunny Boy? And why did it seem that he hadn't finished with her groom? And why did she feel a bit - . Oh, dear. She got up in just a bit of alarm. That she was waking up, naked, in his apartment wasn't a problem. She'd napped there before, and he'd groomed her several times now. Very nicely too. But she had a drowsy half-dream about some potential sexy time. He had felt so good working on her back. Did she react? And if so, why? 

It certainly wasn't that time of the year, and had it been, she'd dose up with suppressants at the first hint. True, a particularly close and physical relationship could jump start things, but that wasn't a thing between her and him. Was it? Of course not. He was the total Ranger Scout, relentlessly polite and courteous. And a trusted and trusting friend. Sure they'd groomed. That's what trusted and trusting friends did, wasn't it?

But why was she now feeling a bit - excited? And deeper issues there. Being bullied and attacked as a young kit made her, not exactly dread her sexuality, but she had avoided it to greater and lesser extents thereafter. As a youngster she camouflaged herself, both species as much as gender. Later she became more belligerent, able to defend herself physically as well as emotionally. But sex, especially with a male, included a level of vulnerability that she didn't dare risk. 

She'd had a relationship with another Vixen years back. While there had been some tentative and tender, and safe, intimacy, the relationship fell apart do to unrelated trust issues. But, anymore, it had largely just settled to a simple 'when in doubt, do without' mind set. 

True, Bunny Boy was cute, for a bunny boy, but for anything beyond a close bud, and 'partner in the war against crime', she smiled at that thought, not likely a thing. 

That little incident was allowed to pass, more like an embarrassing little mistake than anything else. 

And then it came the day for Nichole was to head out to the academy. As Bogo had provided recommendations to other candidates, there was a little joint get together at Headquarters before they sent off. 

Nichole felt a bit awkward; both for being the rather obviously oldest cadet, and that her accompaniment was her younger partner to be. In contrast, the other cadets were nearly half her age and had their parents, nearly her age, in attendance. 

That she was also the only fox and still the smallest beast in the batch only made it worse. 

On the other hand, there was a taste of celebrity about her, hero savior of Zootopia and all, standing besides the other hero savior of Zootopia and all that too. Listening to the little aside conversations certainly perked up her spirits. A surprisingly tiny bit of her thought about ways to exploit the hero worship potential, while a much greater portion was filled with an unexpected resolve. If they thought she was something before, just wait until they see her rip the course. 

Julius, who had ever so carefully avoided any kind of obvious public displays of affection before, gripped her paw in support. And looked on her with pride and earnest joy for his partner. She was really going to do it. He knew she'd been reviewing some of the texts and done some additional work outs, so was largely in good shape for both the physical as well as intellectual challenge. 

Bogo looked out at the body of future ZPD officers and felt just the slightest bit of hope for the future. These were good mammals, honest and true. And in that, had to reflect on the less than best days of the past. The Bellwether plot, in both halves, had highlighted then challenged the complacency of causal specie-ism and pred-prey division for too long. These cadets were going into the process with a loftier goal than simply maintaining the status quo. 

And there were the unwitting authors of so much. That Vixen would be the death of him, no doubt, but do so while at his best. And the Bunny, with some seasoning with his veteran officers, ought to make the dynamic duo, did he really just think that, a most formidable pair. 

After the appropriate remarks and individual well wishing and all that, he was glad to be done with the ceremony. The notion of seeing what was to be a new generation of officers was always bittersweet. Beyond the expected attrition of the academy process, in which at least a few dreams would die, he knew that at least a couple of those fine young lives would be lost in the line of duty. 

Just when he thought he had seen the last of them, and was shifting gears back to the grim work of day-to-day policing, there was the Vixen at his elbow.

"So, you're going to keep the Bunny Boy safe until I get back?" 

Bogo was going to say 'of course', but he hesitated when he really noticed the terse tone. "You know I can't promise anything." 

"Not even death by misadventure?" 

Bogo paused, considered, and glanced around his office. "You two had been under 24/7 protective surveillance for the first couple months since the day Bellwether was arrested. And every officer he has worked with has been vetted within an inch of their lives." 

Nichole was struck dumb. 

"You are both too important to the city to get hit by some Bellwether left-over or specie-ist crackpot. Hopefully, by the time you get back, it won't be necessary. And I'd like that Hopps not know about it." 

"Thanks." And Nichole gripped Bogo's hooves. "Let's just hope he doesn't do something stupid - again." 

 

The Zootopia Police Academy was Hell. Simple as that. There were rules of conduct, dress codes, instructors, and Schedules. Argh, the schedules. And to top it off was that she was surrounded by a batch of smug, self-righteous little prats. 

True, her Bunny Boy had cornered Ranger Scout, and his Naive Hick was unsurpassed, but she'd been helping him get beyond those handicaps. But these clowns were up to the eyebrows in 'brightest and best' arrogance. 

Fortunately, her roomie was not one of them. 

"So, what are we up to tonight?" Nichole asked.

"More on chain of evidence." Celeste yipped back. 

She was a coyote. And like Nichole, was the least conventional of the class of '16. While Nichole was a school drop out, Celeste had no formal schooling at all. But they had both done exceptionally well with the various equivalency exams, and had become fast friends in an 'us against the world' fashion. And, with a touch of awkward, a hint of mother/daughter, as Celeste was nearly young enough to be Nichole's issue. 

Nichole groaned. "Can we get a snack from the break room before we start, my cruel task master."

"Yes, my delicate flower." Celeste didn't always have the same rapid-fire snark as her Fox roomie, but she did have a few now well-practiced reference terms to match her moods. 

The pair went down a floor to the all-purpose off duty space in the barracks. A TV was blaring in the back and some table games took up another section of the room. There was also a kitchen space on one wall and a bank of vending machines with various food and drink. 

A rather slinky Tigress called out, "Hey, Poofy," Pointing to Celeste, "shoot some pool?" Celeste's freshly washed coat would stand out for the first little while, with the inevitable nickname. 

A couple of the other girls lounging around piped up, "Don't do it Carrie, she's a total shark." 

"I told you I could shoot." Celeste defended, and Nichole only rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you're so good, then you ought to be able to run the table in no time?"

Celeste made a face but Nichole leaned in, "Whip her butt and maybe they'll start leaving you alone." 

And she did. Nothing at all fancy, just careful, accurate shooting. No one timed it, but it could not have been more than a couple minutes. 

Carrie stood there a moment, an ear not quite sure how to cock. Then she broke into a big grin. "A'right. Poofy, you're gooood." Then turning to the other girls, "See, That's how the Big Boys play it." 

The others became immediately disinterested, "What ev's."

Nichole and Celeste got their study support re-enforcements, "Yum, crunchie bars!" and headed out, Carrie giving them a little salute with her cue stick as she poked the balls around for a new set up. 

"If you were more 'ambitious', you could make a killing with that." Nichole half-joked. 

"No. I promised my Uncle that I'd use it only for good." Celeste joked back, "Besides, its no fun when I Have to do it. I only got good because I liked doing it." 

"No, I get it." Nichole mused, "Funny how what you want, versus what you can, versus what you need to do can't always be the same thing." A sigh. "Here I am, working to be a cop, and I might even be good at it. But I never thought I'd want to be one."

"Then why are you?"

"Good question. And you'd laugh at this old bitch if I told you." And she tapped the Coyote on the nose, "Which is why I'm not going to tell you."

"Not even a little bit? I'll tell you mine." 

"I already know why you are, the challenge, the adventure, the change of pace from being a, what again, mechanic? And for the greater glory of Coyote kind, the first Latrans in the ranks of the ZPD, and as an itty bitty girl cub of a coyote, too."

Celeste made a fake growl, "I am within the size envelope for my age and gender, I'll have you know."

"Must be on the most lower left corner of that envelope. Aren't you supposed to be about twice your size?"

"That's the wolf hybrids. Real coyotes are about half way between teeny weenie foxes, like you," And she tip-toed herself to add a few more inches to her height be able to more fully peer over her friend's head. Celeste was taller than Nichole, but only just, and the younger Latrans was a thin stick of a girl, rather than the more feminine curved Vulpus. "And those noble images of canid perfection." And they both laughed and laughed. 

The several she-wolves in the class had formed a quasi-pack and were collectively regarded as 'stuck-up bitches' by the rest of the class. 

Then it was back to the books. The two drilled each other on procedural minutia until Celeste noticed the time.   
"If we're going to maintain a diurnal cycle, we'd better quit now."

Nichole grumped, "While I'd like to maintain my birthright, tomorrow's schedule and today's PT session has me pretty whipped, so, yeah." She thought a moment, and stretched, stiffly. "Can I get a little lower back work first?" 

"Yes, my feeble creature."

Celeste found she really liked to massage and groom her roommate, a social function she had not heretofore shared. And getting such attention in return was heavenly. 

Then it was bedtime and an all too early rise and shine for another day.

Physical training was both a general work out for peak performance and various practical conduct and contact skills. Not everyone was expected to take down a charging class F or, glob forbid, class G mammal, but being able to keep one's self in one piece while dealing with a range of beasts was essential. 

Today was unstructured sparring, more of an assessment of what, if any, skills each student might have. And to make things interesting, it was a mix of sizes and genders. 

Nichole got stuck with an Elk Bull, and it became an interesting game of tag, as she was not able to make any consequential contact with him while being too agile for him to make any contact with her. 

"And that is what the next months will be all about getting over." Announced the instructor. "Being able to deal with very asymmetric situations. True, Joansonn there," Pointing to the elephant in the room, "Couldn't safely engage with a mouse perp without risking lethal contact. For now. But by the time we're done, all of you will be expected to have developed tactics to deal with any size of citizen."

Celeste's turn came up all too soon, and she was clearly reticent to get in the ring with the Lion she was matched to. While the lion took a regular boxing stance, She immediately leapt in on him, dodging under his swing to grapple his legs and send him to the mat. She then got a foot into a painful twisting hold before he could react. 

Everyone was more than a bit surprised by that. 

"You okay?" Celeste let the Lion's foot go and helped get his limbs straightened out a bit. "My Uncle taught me some survival skills."

"That was, unexpected, Whitefoot." The Instructor observed. Then, more to the rest of the class, "But it is a bit of overkill for most circumstances, as her next move would have been to break or dislocate his limbs before he could attempt to hit her. And that is the weakness of her hold; she was wide open to any action he still might attempt. While she might be able to disable him, he could still as easily kill her outright if she kept at it." 

The Instructor motioned everyone in closer. "The move wasn't necessarily wrong, but was more of a really last ditch desperation option. What we're going to train you on is how to deal with and subdue a subject with minimal damage to them and minimal risk to you as well. Remember, the individual that you might be dealing with may not be some villain; it could be a distraught victim or even a bystander in panic. Crippling or possibly even killing someone simply for getting hysterical is not what we're here for."

The Instructor signaled for the next pair to go into the ring, but at the same time drew Celeste in. "I've got to ask, do you have any more conventional fighting skills? Or will I have to de-train you before you really hurt someone?"

"Sorry, Ma'am. All I know are some fast crippling holds or punch sequences. My Uncle wanted me to be safe against just about anything. You're right about the leg thing, though I would have done a quick grab, break, then jump clear. As you pointed out, to hold it for even a second longer than needed would have left me open."

"Okay. Later on, we can walk though what you know and see how much can be repurposed, eh?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Later, Nichole was still marveling at the little coyote's prowess. "How is it that you got all those superhero moves yet, here you are gasping after the first mile of our little gaunt."

"Because I didn't have a boyfriend who trained me up for the months leading up to this." Celeste gasped, her tongue dramatically dangling out as she plodded along. "I've walked forever, but all this running is a new and terrible experience." 

"Well, first, he isn't my boyfriend, he's more a friend, who happens to be a boy, ya know, with a space in between." Nichole found her 'never let them see that they get you' was a bit weak when it came to those kind of mentions of the Ranger Scout. "Second, who is to say that I wasn't already in peak physical from coming in?" 

"Your whining pleas for massages was a bit of a hint. But you did have some footwork against Wilbur."

"Funny thing about that, more of a practical survival skill in the big city, least you get stepped on in a crowd. A lot of the really small folk have either separate pedestrian access or simply don't dare go into some areas." 

"But back to the action bit. I got my moves by my Uncle drilling me damn near every day for years, then my strength comes for all the grunt work in the machine shops and garages I've worked at."

"You couldn't have done all that much? You're still just a cub." 

"I've been doing mechanical stuff for as long as I can remember. Never had 'toys', just boxes full of tools. As a very little kid I got to take things apart, then later, got to put things together. Simple nuts and bolts stuff. Then I began to actually fix things, and later, actually make things." She held out her paws, "See, all kinds of adventures with tools." 

Nichole could see all kinds of scars, mostly small ones, a couple more raggedly prominent. There were a couple of bare spots in the fur, looked like old burn scars and one of her pads had once been seriously split down the middle. She only had seven claws. 

"A life of adventure with machines." Then Celeste gave Nichole a look as well, "And when are you going to tell me about your scars?" 

"Whatever do you mean?" Though she knew what that was in reference to. Their grooming sessions had revealed a whole history under her lush pelt. "I've mentioned that I lived on the streets as a kid of a while. And while there, found there are bad people out there, and some have sharp claws."

What she didn't mention was that one set of scars was due to a broken window she had to squirm though to escape from some danger crazies. Or that for every scar she carried she had likely inflicted at least as much on others. More so for broken bones. 

But that was a whole lifetime ago. Finn and her had saved each other in the worst of those early bad old days. And now, the Bunny Boy was in the process of saving her again. 

And thinking about the Bunny Boy, tonight was 'phone call night. 

"So, how's it going?" 

"Work, work, work, John Hemdahl must die, John Worfin must live. Work, work, work." Said in an odd monotone. 

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind. Just a mind-numbing, soul-crushing slog of class work and physical abuse."

"And only months, and months, and months more to go." 

"I've always hated you." 

"Seriously, how's things?"

"Actually, not bad. The academic work is simply lots of. Having a motivated roomie helps. And the PT is not too bad. But we should have done more with upper body, I'm so feeble." 

"What doesn't kill you..."

"Did I mention that I've always hated you? Except for the grooming. Celeste has the Paws of Death strength, but there is something about your attention to detail..."

He did have rather nice paws. And she suddenly remembered that little nothing thrill and fleetingly indulged a thought. What would a bunny boy be like? 

For his part, Julius was not going to mention that he already missed the snarky Fox. The notion of sharing watches with that scarlet harridan only, argh, so many months away, was a comfortable consideration, in contrast to the dull crowd he was currently stuck with. 

"Well, for my part, I've been doing my part to make the world a better place, one jaywalker and litterbug at a time." He wasn't going to mention the drunk and disorderly that got out of control and put Snarlov in hospital, or almost getting clipped by an idiot driver while issuing a ticket. More than once. 

"Oh, and I say your Finn the other day. After the obligatory curse-out, he mentioned something about a legitimate job of some kind. Says you're wasting your time and talent and that I should get stepped on. Repeatedly."

"Poor old dog." Nichole thought a moment, the recalled a thing. "Julius, if you can do it before the eighteenth, get him a bottle of Fernet Brancha for me."

"Fernet bluh?" 

"Fernet Brancha. Kind of nasty tasting liquor and a bit of an old joke. He'll appreciate it." 

"For you, anything." 

"Thanks, and take care of yourself out there." 

"Will do."


	6. Chapter 6

Then there was the graduation. And Julius' famous speech. Of course, as a cynical old bitch, Nichole was entirely unaffected. But that damn bright sun and all those allergies did make the eyes water a bit. 

But, seeing his beaming face as he pinned the badge on, maybe a tear or two. 

After all the formal ceremonies there was a celebratory party, and there were more than a few surprised double takes of Nichole hanging out with the Hero Savior Rabbit of Zootopia. That she was That Nichole Wilde was no secret, but there was still a slight disconnect between the media heroine and the snarky fellow student. 

"So, what do we do now?" Nichole looked out at the crowd, perhaps a bit less jealous of the survivors and their proud kin. It would have been nice if she had family to see her, but that wasn't going to happen. 

She looked over to her roomie, Celeste. She was a more literal orphan. Though for the moment had the family in blue around her. And an eye on that particularly handsome young wolf, Whitehorse. Interestingly, he too came out of humble beginnings and a dysfunctional home. 

Coyotes and Wolves could hook up without too much attention, and the two made a cute, though miss-matched couple. He was a particularly robust Dog, veritably a perfect poster boy for the new generation of the ZPD. She was still a rather petite little coyote, Nichole could not help but think of her as still a pup, and was undistinguished as he was striking. But the two were at the top of their class, just behind Nichole, of course, and seemed to be having some chemistry between them. 

Julius had been kind of zoning out over something, and Nichole had to ask again. "So, what do we do now?" 

"oh- OH!" Bunny Boy started, "Well, you've got your orders, don't you?" Pointing at the bundle of paperwork in her paw. And he was blushing, just a tad in his ears. Naughty boy. 

"Yeah, I report to Precinct One next week for my formal activation and, supposedly, start my partnership with you." Nichole rolled her eyes. "But I mean, what are we going to do, like now?"

"We've eaten all the goodies we can stand, and there are only so many times we can shake everyone's paws, so its time to go - home?" He clearly hadn't considered what that might mean. 

"Well, I've been checking on-line and have a line on a few possible places, though for tonight...?" Nichole hinted way too obviously. She had vacated her old rental hole of a place and wanted something more-better. 

"- oh - " And the Bunny's ear really reddened at that.

"Down boy. I was thinking in terms of crash space, not some post party private 'celebration'. Ya know, like we talked about an hour ago." 

The look he gave her was priceless, shock, embarrassment, and a lot of simple brain lock.

"And, I was also thinking of bringing Celeste along. We're thinking of finding a place we can share for now, though she'll be posted with the fourth."

"Oh, that makes perfect sense." Julius recovered. "I've got regular duty tomorrow but you two can do the town and whatever."

Of course, nothing ever goes so simply. While they were able to get a ride into the city, there were more than a few eyebrows raised as the three officers, two with big duffle bags, plodded into the Grand Pangolin Apartments. 

"And what is this?" Demanded Mrs. Trinidad, the Landlady Armadillo.

Before Julius could answer, Nichole leaned in and whispered, "Police business. Best not to pay too much attention." And she gave a knowing wink. 

Then when they got to his door, Bucky and Pronks happened to notice.  
"He's got two canids in there with him?"

"Yeah, a coyote and a fox, dressed up in cop uniforms."

"Girls?"

"Yeah, a hot vixen and the coyote looked kind of under age."

"Must be just looks though, he's too Johnny Law to do that kind of thing."

"Hey, Bunny, didn't know you were into costumes."

"And three-ways. Way to go." 

Nichole stifled a laugh; she'd had 'fun' times with the pair before. Celeste was mortified. Nichole reached over to give her a little reassuring pat. "Don't worry, we love your innocent waif look."

"But they said - " And she gave Julius a rather measured look. 

For his part, Julius made an attempt to be crestfallen. "So, no three way?" Before he began to snicker. He then called out. "You guys better be careful, these two are real cops, and they would be just as happy making their arrest quotas with disturbing the peace or criminal harassment as anything else."

A pause. Then, "Really?" 

"Criminal harassment is kind of harsh."

"No, that they are cops. Congratulations."

Later on, they had to deal with the logistics of the three of them in a tiny apartment barely adequate for one. 

"I'll take the floor." Announced Julius, and it was clear he was going to keep his shirt and trousers on in the company of the two females. And it was also clear he intended to sacrifice his comfort for his guests, not that sleeping on the floor was an issue. He could sleep on almost anything almost anywhere.

Celeste was in a full-length granny flannel nightgown and was prepared to take the floor as well. "Oh, I thought the two of you were going to take the bed?" 

Nichole, never the shy one, was in just panties and a t-shirt, and already lounging on the mattress, bolted up, "The two of us! Whatever do you mean?" 

"Well, I thought, as you two were already...?" Celeste gestured between the pair.

"Already what?" 

"You know..." 

Nichole looked over to Julius who was blushed massively along with a wicked smirk. But never to be outdone, she responded, "But, my little puppy, I was so hoping to get you in here so we could give Bunny Boy a real show." And she gave Celeste a lip-licking leer. 

At that, Celeste leapt onto the bed, "Oh, my darling, now we can express or forbidden love!" She cooed as she squirmed up next to the Fox. 

Nichole played along, stroking her face and ears. "Time for the puppy to learn some lessons!" Then they both looked over to Julius.

He was hunched over, wringing his paws in perverse anticipation, his face twisted into a manic grin, his tongue lolling off to one side, "Bunny gets the show, bunny gets the show." Squeaking in his best Igor-esque voice. 

The whole thing held for a couple heartbeats then all three busted out in helpless laughter. 

Then, as they recovered, Julius finally gasped, "Seriously, guests get the awful bed." 

But Celeste was persistent, "Come on, I don't want to be a third wheel, but you two ought to be back together, even if its just for sleep."

"Excuse me, but we were never 'together' to begin with." Nichole became more firm. "Yeah, the Bunny Boy is cute and all, but we've been just good buds, and all that hero stuff." 

"Seriously?" Celeste looked back and forth between the two. 

Julius added, "Boys and girls who work together do not necessarily have to get romantic." And he thought about the several boy/girl patrol partners and shook his head mirthfully.

"Yeah, this isn't some romantic comedy were our sexual tension becomes an obvious open secret to everyone else but us." Nichole continued, "That would be silly." 

"Then, what about all those 'phone calls?"

Nichole got serious. "How many friends do you have?"

Celeste pulled back a bit, then, "You, I guess." 

Nichole gave her a reassuring smile, "And why am I your friend?" 

"'Cause you're crazy smart and fun and we really click with each other?" The little Coyote was rather unsure at to where this was going.

"And how many friends do you think Julius has?" 

Celeste looked over to the Rabbit, who only shrugged. "Tons? He's got all his family back in Bunny Burrow and the whole First Precinct." 

"Didn't ask you how many people he might know, but how many real friends do you think he has?"

Celeste had met Julius a few times during class breaks and felt she had a good grasp of his character. "But he's crazy smart and fun and... " She was finally getting it. 

"Yeah, back in the city, I know everyone, but other than Bunny Boy here, and a horrible little Sand Dog who's more trouble than he's worth, and you, real friends, quality friends are kind of sparse."

"However," Julius interjected, "For full disclosure, if you want to indulge your shipping fantasies, we have touched each other's naked pelts."

"Yeah, he doesn't have your fingers of death though." Then turning to Julius, "Did I mention her super-powered paws, could pinch off nail heads, open pickle jars, everything." 

"Don't let Bogo know, least he keeps her close for special interrogation." 

Celeste was aghast at that until she saw the smirks. 

"Precinct thirteen hasn't been a thing for a good long time." Nichole looked to Julius for confirmation. That had been a notorious euphemism for off-book beatdowns and 'enhanced interrogations' of troublesome suspects back in less progressive days. Julius only shrugged and Nichole gave him an incredulous look back. 

"But back to beds, I insist on being the long-suffering gentlebeast and take the hard cold floor." Julius was adamant and had a blanket and pillow ready to plunk down. "I'll let you ladies fight it out between you who will take the bed." 

Celeste seemed okay to also do the floor and did an ostentatious three circle before curling up on the floor. She had a pillow and blanket and pulled her tail up to cuddle as well. 

That left Nichole on the bed, and it was kind of an awful thing, no wonder Julius had so easily surrendered it. 

After lights out and the two on the floor had settled into the faint whispers of sleeping breaths, Nichole lay awake. There she was, now a ZPD academy graduate and on her way to being the first fox cop in modern Zootopia history. Moreover, and more on her mind at the moment, the sound and scent of two of the most important mammals in her life was there with her. Who would have thought it, a sweet little coyote girl and super ranger scout bunny boy? What was the world coming to? 

She looked over to Julius, he had his face and knees butted up against the bed frame and his blanket wadded up, leaving his back uncovered, more so in that his shirt had rode up leaving most of his back fur exposed. That wouldn't do. She ever so carefully got up and thought about pulling the blanket out to better cover him. Then had a better idea. 

Damn biology. Such a delicious snuggle disrupted by a demanding bladder. Celeste got up to hit the head, the communal toilet down the hall, but had to stop and smile at the sight of Nichole and Julius. Just friends indeed. There they were, spooned together, the smaller rabbit tucked into the curve of the larger fox. Her tail was now his comforter, his face buried in her brush. 

Yeah, just friends. Yet, when she came back from doing what needed to be done, she considered a moment. Was it instinct, but the idea of simply curling up with another warm body, especially a trusted friend, didn't seem so loaded an idea after all. As she settled in to spoon the fox, she thought this could be a thing after all. 

Julius woke up early, instinct and farm boy habits were not going away anytime soon. He was not entirely surprised to see that he had become the core of a cuddle, and a little part of him wished that could be how he woke every morning. He hadn't gotten a lot of that back home, for reasons, and found he craved it more than he might admit. 

Early rising meant he had the first chance at the bathroom before his neighbors and he did what needed to be done with economy. The boys next door were not the only ones on the floor and he respected their needs for timely access. 

Then back to the room for a change of everything to a fresh duty uniform. It was not until he was nearly ready to leave for the day that the two girls began to stir. 

"Going so soon?" Nichole sighed. "And I missed the bare bunny show."

"But we did get our three-way." Julius smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime." And Nichole found she really liked the cuddle. They'd groomed a few times, even lounged together around after, but this was the first time for a joint sleep over. It felt really good to have him pressed up against her, he was really warm, and having an extra heartbeat close was so soothing. 

"Hey sleepyhead, say good morning." Nichole nudged the still dousing coyote.

"Good morning?" Celeste muffled, determined to not properly wake up and relinquish the foxy fluff she was buried in. 

"And a good morning and good day to you, Ms. Whitefoot." Julius waved to the pair. "I'm off to make the world a better place."


	7. Chapter 7

First day at precinct one and Nichole, not knowing what to expect, was in her duty blues. Not as flattering as her form-fitting tactical suit, Julius had been on hand for the test fitting and his eyes were all over it, but he suggested that on a warm day like today, she might want something lighter to start. 

"Looking good, Nichole! And welcome to the club!" Gushed Clauhauser, and she blew him a kiss. She wanted to linger, the Cheetah was a ton-o-fun to chat-up, and she recognized that he could be a staunch ally. She was determined not to play any cons, great or small, but office politics was it's own game and used similar tactics.

Julius recoiled in mock dismay. "Forsaken for a big boy. What chance does a mere rabbit have with this forest of massive masculinity?" And he waved to the cluster of other huge mammals that were filing into the bullpen. 

Nichole leaned over to whisper in his ear, "You'll always be my little, teeny, weenie bunny boy." And gave him a rather sultry lick of her lips. 

"Promises, promises." 

When they entered the briefing room, the crowd of officers gave them a rather mixed reaction. A couple knew she was coming and gave her a thumbs up. A few were of the 'oh she's here now?' variety. Others were more 'I didn't know she was really going to do it', and a few rather clueless ones were more of the 'Who's the - vixen - in the uniform, and why?'. 

Nichole gave a little fashion show twirl to the applause of those in the know then scrambled up on the oversize chair where her beaming partner waited. 

"See, they love me already. And you were worried." She not at all quietly whispered.

They had time for only a quick moment of look arounds and waves before Bogo stomped in. 

He started out with the routine business, the world was full of evil badness and their thin blue line was the only hope to keep chaos from consuming all they held dear. Or some kind of similar yadda yadda. Then on to the day's assignments.

"As tradition demands," He intoned rather menacingly, looking directly at Nichole, "Fresh from the academy rookies would get parking duty to introduce themselves to the city and get a taste of the delights of ZPD paperwork." Nichole cringed just a bit. "So Whitehorse, you've got it today."

Nichole looked back to where her fellow graduate slumped. The big, young wolf seemed resigned to the task, and she was heartened to see the other wolves of the unit seemed to be embracing him as one of their own, with their little cuffs and backslaps. 

"Hopps and our first fox officer, Wilde, get visibility foot patrol on the plaza." That didn't sound so bad, until Nichole looked over to Julius. 

He was keeping his face carefully neutral, but his ears were back and his foot flailed the air instead of thumping the ground in frustration.

After Bogo left and the rest of the unit began to troop out, a few giving Nichole little congratulatory asides, Julius explained. "For full-size cops, the foot patrol is a perfectly normal and reasonable task. But for you and me - ." He growled. 

"Oh, my what cute little costumes." Nichole mimicked some witless soul. 

"Exactly. And if anyone recognizes me, it becomes celebrity nightmare time." He pulled on an ear in frustration.

"Ah ah!" Nichole admonished with a paw wave, "You forget my vital contribution!" And she took a haughty pose, "Am I'm prettier! The public will flock to me and take all that unwanted pressure off your tired shoulders" 

"Yeah, like a rust-stained rag mop, you old crone." 

"Better than your dish rag grey fuzz ball, you obstreperous little kit." 

"And I'm glad to see you two have established such a cordial relationship." Bogo had come back to check on them, with just the tiniest smirk. "Wilde, we need to talk." 

Nichole didn't need to feint a cringe. Then, as she followed him down the hall, she turned and whispered back, "Remember me fondly when I'm gone." 

When they were well away, Bogo humphed, "So, here you are. Ready for the ride?"

Nichole got very serious for a moment, "I'm here, aren't I?" 

"Yes." Bogo considered a moment. "Your processing has been cleared, though you'll still need your final psych eval and a stress test." He said it like a dreadful warning. "I can schedule you to be away from him without suspicion." 

"I kind of wish I already had it, but I'll just have to be extra careful until then." She grimaced, then putting a paw to his hoof, "Thanks for this, though. I don't know I could face the prospect of being out there for very long without it." 

"You and me both." Bogo said with real feeling, "I have no doubt about the two of you doing your job. He's settled down really well in general, no more "Carter and Briggs' super cop stunts. But I'm still afraid of you two becoming a trouble magnet for no fault of your own."

"Well, let's find out?"

Then Nichole and Julius were out on patrol. 

"Next time I'm coming in my tactical suit. This vest is awful." Nichole groused, tugging at the multi-pocketed armor vest she now had on over her uniform. 

"Your suit won't save you, unless you want to have all the pocket contents from the vest hanging off your belt?" Julius smirked. "Besides you look a little like Simon Pigg in 'Hot Fuzz' this way."

"Oh thanks. You really know how to hurt a girl's feelings." 

"But, on the other hand, with your suit and the vest, you'd just about double your protection, and can still show off your hot lines."

Nichole wanted to take the compliment, but looked at the Bunny Boy and wished he had more armor on him. Julius totally misread her expression.

"Oh, cheese! I'm sorry! Too much sexual harassment for the day?" 

"Oh. Nothing like that." She waved to dispel the notion. "Why don't you have a tactical suit?"

"I do, technically, but it doesn't fit worth a damn and makes me look like a stuffed toy." 

She gave him a look with that in mind. "Oh glob, I bet it would." 

"This outfit isn't perfect, but its what I've trained in so I still have all my moves." He pulled at the vest. "And if we think things might get a bit much, there are extra trauma plates we can stick in." 

Nichole knew that, but the reminder wasn't a comfort. 

As for the patrol itself, it wasn't starting off badly. More than a few double takes and incredulous stares, but a couple or three smiles or thumbs up in recognition. 

As the day's sun got higher, Nichole put on her shades, but then abruptly pulled them back off and slapped her body cam on. 

Julius saw that, touched his own and asked." What have you got?"

"See that little Roe Deer? Pickpocket. Her partner is the Meerkat under the tree. He sees us, but I'll bet he's not taking us seriously." 

"I got 'em. Think he'll bolt for the throughway?"

"That's what I'd expect. She doesn't see us yet, not paying attention to his signs. She'll be the faster one, so get as close as possible." 

Julius nodded and picked up his pace, keeping himself covered behind the larger beasts ambling along. 

Nichole saw that the Meerkat, noticing that they were closing on his partner, decided to make an exit, and she began to trot to an intercept. He saw that and bolted and she got busy herself. Seeing that she had anticipated his likely escape route, he doubled back, possibly hoping to dodge through the crowds and another exit. 

"Police! Stop!" And Nichole was instantly shocked at how high and screechy that come out. First bust anxiety, but she definitely needed to work on her serious cop voice. The Meerkat was zigging pretty well, but his intention was too obvious so an intercept was only a matter of navigating the crowds for a few more seconds. 

Until she saw the Zebra's leg that lashed out to trip her. 

Nichole had a whole life of fancy urban footwork to keep from landing worse, but the Meerkat was truly gone in the movement she needed to recover. She turned to the Zebra, who was theatrically feinting innocence. 

"You're under arrest." And she got her comm on. "On my mark, obstruction and assault on an officer, stand by." The new GPS assisted dispatch would locate the unit and vector closest assistance as needed. 

"I didn't do nothing." the Stallion objected. 

"Exactly, and my body cam will prove that. And I can't help but wonder about criminal assistance? You didn't happen to know that pickpocket?"

In those few seconds, the crowd had morphed from puzzled and surprised of what happened, then a level of animus at the obviously brutal police over-reach from the evil-wicked fox, which as quickly turned to a level of hostility at the Zebra. Pickpockets had become a real problem this season.

"No way. I was just messin' - " 

"Yeah, messing with an officer in the performance of her duty." She turned to the crowd with a 'can you believe this guy?' gesture. 

"I didn't know you were a real cop." 

"Chasing a suspect, the 'stop police' and the uniform and all that wasn't a clue?" Nichole gave an eye roll for the crowd. 

Nichole was used to a lot of petty indignities as a vixen, and in different times and places, and even now, she had some digression in her reaction. But the still smug disregard the stallion was displaying wasn't helping his situation. For now, she was going to secure him and talk to her partner. 

"Okay, Sir. Hooves behind your back." She brought out zip-ties; large equine cuffs would have been too awkward to carry. She saw him stiffen and his arms weren't going back. Given that she barely came up his belt, she figured she could duck if he tried anything, but she didn't want that level of escalation. 

"Sir, please, I just want to secure you for the moment as we get this -." 

Nope, he was going to do it the hard way, as he swung at her. 

She really wanted this to end well, "Seriously, stop now and we'll work it out." He was a big clumsy lump, and she figured she wasn't in too much jeopardy so far. But he lunged at her again. 

"Officer needs assistance." Into her comm, just to be sure. 

Then there was the little poof of a trank dart in the Zebra's flank. He turned to see a Very Annoyed Rabbit officer cycling up his darter for another shot if needed. For that kind of hit, the effect was not instantaneous, but he knew he was done and plopped to a sitting position, his hooves behind him. 

"Officer Hopps, glad you could join us." Nichole tried to remain cool, but was surprised at how shook she was underneath. She had confronted big angry opponents before, but never like that. There was no choice of fleeing, or some dirty fighting, just the constrains of proper procedure. Further, her natural schmooz seemed to have been compromised by the uniform. 

Julius had the crestfallen little Doe in tow and was holstering his darter. "I see you up-sold your suspect, Officer Wilde?" 

At the names, some of the crowd began to recognize who the incongruously little officers were and that they were in the company of celebrities, the hero saviors of Zootopia itself.

"This gentlebeast saw fit to trip me, lost the Meerkat. Glad to see you caught yours." Nichole took a closer look and could tell the young Roe Doe was going to play the tragic waif, but was a seasoned professional. Likely with a long sheet. 

"Hopps here. We have one to transport straight in and one medical, a class E darting." He leaned over to look at the Zebra's face. The Stallion's eyes tried to track him, he was still conscious, but wasn't really able to do anything. "Looks like he's about ninety percent." 

"Wilde, keep a close eye on him for symptoms." Then looking over the crowd, announced. "Folks. If any of you happened to get a vid of any of this, or simply want to make a statement as witnesses, we'll have an incident team here in a few minutes for you to talk to. If you have a vid that you don't want to share at the moment, please consider sending a copy to the ZPD at your convenience." 

A couple mammals came up to offer statements and Nichole and Julius could tell there any number who were sending e-traffic off about the event.

"Well, Officer Wilde, now you'll get the full fun side of police work. We'll be doing paperwork on this for the rest of the day and, unless I get very lucky, the rest of the week on desk duty for the darting incident."

Nichole sighed, sitting down next to and leaned in to the Zebra, who's name, according to his ID was Stanley. "You know, I could have let you off with a firm finger wave, well, maybe a misdemeanor ticket for your dumb stunt, but now you've got felony charges, a court date, possibly some time. But don't worry; they don't use the batons in the cells - anymore - mostly. Just don't let them know about the assault on an officer part. They don't like that." 

She looked over to see Julius' 'WTF' expression. "Okay, my partner reminded me not to harass you. Very unprofessional. And look, I left my body cam on if you want to file a complaint. No? But, seriously, short of simply not doing the dumb stunt, it could have been next to nothing until you got an attitude." 

She took a close look into his eyes. He seemed to be doing as good as could be expected. She left the sassy police attitude for a moment while she checked his pulse. "Listen, these darts are supposed to be as safe as possible, but if you feel sick or particularly weird, please make any kind of sign to let us know, okay?" She really did have some concern for the big idiot. He grunted some understanding. His eye movement and some facial action suggested he was settling down and, though not coming out of it yet, wasn't going to get any more knocked down. 

She called out to Julius. "Looks like he's plateuing and no nasty signs. I'll sit with him to make sure." 

"Stanley, do you know, you're going to be just a little bit famous? Remember the Bellwether plot, and the two plucky little beasties that solved the case? That was us. Julius Hopps, the Bunny Boy over there. And me, Nichole Wilde. No? It was in all the papers, and on line, of course. Who reads the papers any more? Anyway, you've just became my very first arrest on my very first day as the very first Fox in the Zootopia Police Department."

Nichole leaned over and patted Stanley's arm, "I just wish it hadn't been for obstruction and assault on me. 'Cause I'm afraid you're not going to be the last." She looked over at the crowd that was keeping a respectful distance away. She hoped no one noticed that. 

She saw the medical response van enter the plaza and stood up. "Your ride's here, Stanley. And when this is all done, I'll see about some autographs, eh?" 

Later, the pair were standing in front of Chief Bogo.

"That could have gone worse. Social media has it all over. Fortunately the reaction has been mostly positive. And you two did reasonably well." 

He thumbed through some files, "Angela Desmond has been a busy girl and we're glad to have her off the street. Good eyes there Wilde. And your 'interference' is recovering well enough. Stanley Nahbahno should have known better. Has some history with us as well, can't seem to keep his hooves off folks. Multiple assault charges, and some form of resisting as often as not too."

"The DA's office doesn't see any trouble, pretty cut and dried. Hopps, you'll get a hearing tomorrow on the dart, don't want you side-lined any longer than necessary for a pretty righteous shoot."

"Thank you, sir." Julius looked to Nichole in obvious relief. 

"Wilde, I'd recommend you be more careful around your body cam and bystanders with devices. Way too much of what you said is already out on the web, and while it doesn't reflect too badly so far, it's already raised some concerns."

"Oh?"

"There is some question about whether or not you're being deliberately put into harm's way." Bogo did a little thing with his eyes and Nichole knew exactly what he meant. 

"Well, you could say that about every cop in the field. Putting on this uniform makes us all targets."

There was just the slightest flicker of pain in the Buffalo's face at that. 

After they were dismissed, Julius mused, "If I didn't know better, I'd wonder if you two weren't up to something?"

Nichole feigned shock and surprise, "The chief and me? Nothing, of course, other than our torrid affair. Don't tell his wife." 

Julius laughed, but he wasn't convinced. "So, what do you want to do to wrap up your first day on the beat?" 

Nichole sighed. "This morning, I was all about some kind of celebration, and an opportunity to make up for how I pissed on your parade on your first day."

She didn't exactly intend to have it come out so rude, but she did have an inkling as to how deeply she'd wounded him back then, to her lasting regret. His grin and shrug helped. 

"But, right now, all I can think about is a hot shower and an early bedtime." She gave him an apologetic smile, "How you cops can do this every day - ?"

"With clean living and a pure heart, our strength is of ten." He chirped back. 

The halls of Precinct One echoed in Vulpine laughter. 

Later, Celeste bounced into the shared apartment where Nichole lay on their beater couch, looking disheveled in a bathrobe, glumly poking at her laptop. "Hey! How'd it go for you today, first day rookie?" Then seeing the dispirited character of the Vixen, "Oh, that good?"

Nichole sighed, "My first career arrest was for a clown who tripped me then got belligerent while I was chasing a pickpocket suspect."

The little Coyote was stunned speechless. 

"And through the miracle of modern technology and social media, you too can see my dramatic premier." She held out her laptop.

Celeste watched in sad sympathy to a couple views of her chase, fall, and subsequent arrest of the Zebra. "You're going to have to work on your authoritive police voice though. I forget how screechy you foxes can get." 

"Don't I know it." And Nichole attempted a bass voice, only to produce a weak gargle. 

"And I'll likely have an 'interesting' day or two as they get Hopps sorted out after he darted the clown."

"His darting hearing." 

"So, how did your first day go?" 

Celeste shrugged, "First day parking duty. No sweat, but a bit of a let down after all the build up, ya know. Hundred and eighty-five tickets." She made it sound like an accomplishment. 

"Sorry dear, the Bunny Boy got two hundred by noon his first day." 

"I thought that was just a story." 

Me too, but I checked the record. Sure enough." 

"Well, its something I won't have to worry about for very long, they're talking about having me be partnered up by the end of the week." 

"Well some good news for the day, finally." Nichole's glad smile quickly faded, "You be very careful out there once you do get on the beat." She took a closer look at Celeste. She was in her tactical body suit, and with its belt and upper torso armor supplement, gave the lean stick of a girl a little complementary shape. It also offered some overall protection that the duty uniform did not. 

"You'll have to try for yourself, but when you do go out, try the full utility and armor vest, maybe with the supplement." Nichole took a very serious tone. "I was in my duty blues and the vest, and when push came to shove, I felt unpleasantly naked."

"Uh? It isn't like were getting gun fire at every turn?" Celeste was puzzled.

"Its nothing like that. But the suit protects from slashes, and the torso coverage resists a stomping." Nichole was thinking as to how badly the situation could have gone if she'd not been quite as agile or lucky. 

Celeste realized that too. 

"I'm going to write a note to the academy about some extra training regarding asymmetrical force when the officer is the smaller subject. It was my street smarts more than the training that saved my butt today." Nichole was still very bothered. But it wasn't about her close call. The Bunny Boy was even smaller and more fragile, and if she couldn't....

"Okay, Miss Buzzkill, I'm going to change and enjoy the end of my first successful day on the force." Celeste gave Nichole a wink. "I've got a date tonight." 

"Hah! You and Whitehorse? You two can compare notes on the best meter-maiding techniques." 

Celeste made a saucy flourish of her tail, "That too..."


	8. Chapter 8

Before morning briefing and a little socializing among the officers. Nichole was in early to give Allen Whitehorse a talking to. 

"So, what did you do to my roomie, Whitehorse?" Nichole not quite growled. And not her playful or joking intonation. 

"Ah, nothing, Ma'am!" the Young wolf gulped. "She just stayed over at my place." 

"And why did she do that?" Nichole was in pure mother bitch mode, and as much as she knew he was a pretty good boy, she smelled an awful lot of Celeste on him. 

"We went out last night to celebrate our going active, and then back to my place to hang out. Then it got late, so figured it'd be easier to just stay overnight." 

"And that is all you did?" Nichole gave him a particularly deep sniff in emphasis. 

Allan's ears reddened, "We, ah, groomed. Nothing more. Honest."

'But you sure wanted to do more, eh?" 

"But I'd never even try anything with her, especially just starting out like this." He grimaced, mostly in embarrassment, "She's really cute," And he paused, then confessed, "So I do think of her in those ways, who wouldn't? But I'm no rutting dog, Ma'am. Not with her or anyone." 

Nichole had issues with males and sex, but she had to admit he was almost as earnest a ranger scout as her Bunny Boy, so probably treated the little Coyote like a princess. A quality of attention that she so needed after her rather sparse life. Besides, if they had gone any further, she would have known. A good nose is a joy forever. 

"Okay. But if she ever comes home with so much as a single tear in her eye..." 

The look he gave her, not of fear, but of dismay, of the notion that he would ever hurt her in any way, pretty much sealed the deal. 

Nichole relented, a bit. "Mother Nikkie approves." But her tone was still a warning. "And remind her to CALL if she's not coming home at a reasonable hour." Not like she wasn't going to get all worried mother on the little Coyote tonight after work. 

Nichole had been worried, not so much about her and the Wolf, but about how hazardous the streets could be for any smaller female of any species. Celeste did have some level of physical wherewithal to defend herself, but she didn't yet have the urban savvy to avoid situations to her liking. 

Which reminded her of the day's expected 'fun'. With Julius tied up with his darting hearing and related official red tape, she had the day to take care of some special business of her own.

The ZPD headquarters had a full shooting range in the sub-basement, including a stress fire obstacle course and she needed to qualify. This was no simple barrier and silhouette walk through, there were any number of obstacles to navigate and painfully realistic pyrotechnics to simulate return fire. And the goal was unscripted, she'd have to assess the situation and make her best guess as to what was need to do. 

While she did have on eye protection, she had only minimal earplugs, enough to insure no permanent injury, but not enough to dampen the unpleasantness of the shots. 

She chose a compact revolver, dirt simple and reliable, only five shots for size, though the hottest loads she felt comfortable to handle from her straight range experience. Four speed loaders and a pocket full of loose rounds. Of course there was no knowing how long the test was for or what the 'victory' conditions were. 

Fifteen minutes later, panting and frazzled, with three rounds left, the range buzzed completion. After the better part of a year invested in this whole 'become a cop and make the world a better place', this was now the one time she really, really closest to quitting on the spot. 

She cleared her weapon, surprised she was able to do so without shaking, and pulled her eyes and ears off, she went to the exit, where the range master and Bogo waited. 

"How many quit after this?" She hissed, pointing back to the nightmare she'd just gone through. 

"A couple, actually, but mostly they give up on the carry, due to disqualification for the most part." The range master observed. "I've had a few try the course, just to see if they can hack it, and they usually live to regret it."

"So? How did I do?" Nichole tried shaking herself out, her whole body seemed to be jangling for all the shooting and stress.

"Better than most. Three rounds left, much better than most. And you didn't die very often; there was an IR laser spotter to go with the return fire. You did very good for cover and evasion." 

Bogo added, "These courses are based on actual worst case situations, and you felt how immersive they got." He wasn't going to say how one of them included his worst day as a young patrolbeast.

"Yeah, nothing like feeling like I'm about to really get killed adding to the verisimilitude." She puffed. "So, did I make it?"

The range master smiled apologetically, "Oh yeah. No problem. Though, ultimately, it was less about winning the course as it was coping with it. Being merely a bit rattled at the end is just fine." 

"Still want it?" Bogo asked.

Nichole made a face. She'd just gotten through a shooting sequence worst than any she'd actually likely confront in a whole career. And the odds were that she'd never actually need it. But she was determined that she was going to be ready for the unthinkable. 

"Sign me up." 

"You're good to go then." Bogo had her temporary permit with him already. 

She took it and looked at it for a long moment. She then reloaded the piece and put it in her back carry holster. She then retrieved and reloaded her speed loaders and put them in one of her tactical belt pouches. "Thanks." 

As there was always some kind of paperwork to keep a body busy, she spent the rest of the day at her desk, waiting for Julius to get through the hearing. 

And then, there he was. 

"So, Officer Hopps, how did it go?" 

"They've deemed me safe to go out in public again after all." 

"That's a relief. So, back in the saddle for tomorrow?"

"Apparently so." Julius considered a moment, "Up for a little celebratory diner?" 

"Normally, I'd say yes to any opportunity to mooch off your generosity, but I'm going to call it an early and uneventful night. Again." She'd already begged off their first day of duty celebration.

Julius baby pouted for a moment, then, "Yeah. You look like you could use a snooze." 

Nichole harrumphed, "What, think the old lady can't hack it?" 

"Not that so much, but I know how stressful range time can be. I might not have a canid grade sniffer, but you've been making noise today." 

"You caught me. Still getting used to real fire arms."

"Yeah. Kind of glad we don't have to carry on a regular basis." 

He was still very much a little ranger scout, too earnest and innocent for the job in her estimation. The ZPD prided itself on its non-lethal procedures and had a long history of success, for the most part. But scary bad folk were not so restrained. Though to be honest, while nearly no one in the force carried on a regular basis, the actual need for a real firearm and the application of deadly force was also next to never. But only next to never. 

They bade each other good night and Nichole was on her way home. Before coming active, she'd assumed she'd be changing out of her uniform before going off duty, but instead she found that she thought it important to be visible as a fox in uniform as much as possible. And as she was a thoroughly wicked person, anything she could do to shock the population, like being a fox in uniform, was all the better. 

Tonight, however, she was all too aware of that extra bit of mass on her body, and while she didn't like it, she was prepared to carry that weight.

"Before you say anything, I already heard it from Allen, so I don't need the worried mom act too." Celeste whined as Nichole entered their apartment.

"Well, with a welcome like that, I guess I need not share these scrumptious bug burritos." Nichole responded archly.

At that, Celeste went into total little kit whine, which included rather loud coyote yips. 

"A'right! Anything to shut you up. Gah, you must have been terrible as a real little kit." Nichole relented, tossing her a burrito.

Celeste laughed, "I was a quiet and obedient child, I'll have you know." 

"Was it the deep sigh of disappointment? Or the sad furrowed brow, that kept you in line?" Nichole knew something about parental techniques. 

"He'd make me invisible." Celeste didn't talk about her Uncle all that much. Not that it was a poor relationship, just a bit stilted, as he apparently had no parenting skills at all. He fed her and taught her a trade, as a simple responsibility rather than out of any familial affection. "I had to have done something pretty bad to get it, but to get invisibled..." 

Nichole considered the little coyote, not for the first time. She was such an anomalous thing in so many ways. Coyotes were rather uncommon in the region to begin with. Then she had such an unorthodox upbringing, raised by an eccentric roaming mechanic uncle. 

He'd taught her to read himself, then set her loose in whatever library was near the work of the moment. She learned math in the practical operations of a machine shop, and some things of life while among the machinists and mechanics her Uncle worked with. Arguably not the best environment for a little girl, but between that and her bibliophilia, she had an unusually eclectic background that had held her in good stead since. 

"So, how'd Hopps' hearing go?"

"Got off. He'll be back menacing the public tomorrow. I just hope we don't get visibility foot patrol again."

"Uh? I would have thought you guys would be loving it?"

"Yeah. Half the crowd doesn't believe we're even real cops. And those who do think they can diss us for our size and species. That's what caused the thing yesterday to begin with." She wasn't going to mention the additional whammy of being a female. Sexism wasn't that big a thing, for the most part, but being a 'vixen' had several extra layers of baggage to it.

"And you, how's your ticketing going?"

Celeste made a face. "It's like everyone was being a responsible citizen today. Didn't get fifty for the whole day." 

The Coyote's nose did a little twitch. "Were you on the range today?" 

Nichole cringed, "Yeah, about that. I want you to swear, absolutely and for serious, never to even hint about this to Hopps." She undid her carry holster and held it out; the compact revolver was plainly visible. "Got my final clearance today."

Celeste was stunned. "You got a carry piece?" Then she realized an added detail, "A concealed carry?" Regular officers on regular patrol simply didn't carry side arms. Darters and stunners for sure, but only under extraordinary circumstances did a cop have a firearm on his or her hip.

"Remember my not mentioning why I joined the force?"

'Yeah....?"

"It's for Hopps." And she sat down with a sigh. "That little ranger scout has somehow survived so far, but..." She gripped the gun. "He's too earnest, too good for this damned city. And it wouldn't hesitate in killing him given half a chance." Her tail lashed in frustration.

Celeste gave Nichole a look. "First, I know you now well enough to know you're up to you eyeballs in 'protect and serve'. What does Hopps call it- making the world a better place?" She sat down besides the Vixen, "And you don't give him enough credit. He's been on the force for a year now without you."

Nichole growled, "I know. But..." She drew the pistol out and cleared it of ammo, then held it out for Celeste to examine. "I've seen so much shit, so many good mammals ground down by the city. And I don't want to not be there for him." 

Celeste hefted the piece. Tested the action. Handed it back with the cylinder out. She didn't carry, was never expected to, but had been trained for the safe handling of most types. "I think I'd like to try the seven mil Mak." She had somewhat larger paws and could handle the larger gun. "I think I understand. But it's still quite a thing." 

Nichole reloaded and put the piece away. "I'm worried for you too, ya know."

"Me? The delicate ingénue? I may not be as street smart, but I suspect I might be teamed up with Jefferson. He's a cougar, a concolor, fifteen years on the beat. If someone like him can't give me cover, I don't know who can."

Nichole didn't know Jefferson, but her experiences with those big cats did put her at ease a bit. They were smart, for cats, though they also tended to be loners. "Will you be alright with him?"

"We already met. He's originally from the territories, before my time, but we do have some small background in common. Should be fine."

A little later, Nichole's thoughts were still a tumult, and with it, physical tension. "Celeste. Major favor time?" 

"Old lady needs a rub?"

"Please? And would you mind making it a real back-breaker?"

"You okay?" 

"Had a lot on my mind, and it's all gone into my muscles."

 

Nichole showed up the next morning looking very sharp and ready for the street. She had on her tactical body suit and the full tactical vest instead of the abbreviated torso armor. Clauhauser saw her and his eyes all but popped.

"Wow, Nichole, you look like you're ready for war!"

She badly mimicked a rough tough drill sergeant voice, "Arh! That's right! I'm locked and loaded for the war on crime, troop!" Then broke into a gentle smile, "Just wanted to try on the suit and see how well it actually works." Then confided, "I was feeling a bit naked out there in just my duty blues."

"Yeah, a lot of the guys go though adjustments in what and how they suit up for the beat." He gave her a couple head cocking looks, "The torso armor would give you a bit more .." And he made an hourglass gesture with his paws. 

Nichole feigned shock at the sexist talk, "You boys are just terrible!" 

Clauhauser recoiled in mock surprise, then continued with his assessment. "But the full vest is likely more practical, you don't have to carry everything on your belt." 

"Yeah." And she though about her carry, hidden in the back of the vest. But on to brighter things. "Say, have you got any hints for the duty today?" 

"Bluh, the Chief keeps that to himself or the watch commander until the briefing." Clauhauser considered, "But after your thing and the social media attention, I'd bet in-car for the both of you until things calm down a bit." 

"That I can deal with. Oh, and that's a detail I've wondered about." Nichole mused, "How bad was Hopps' media attention once he was rehabilitated?" 

"Oh, it was terrible for a while, we had to sneak him out the various side exits or in one of the cruisers least the press swarm him." The big cat shook his head. "Poor bunny, hated the attention and was, if anything a bit confused by it. He really thought it was just a job well done, didn't see the big picture well enough. And he still had a bit of guilt about his earlier bit. Was happy to see me reinstated here at the desk, but I could see him cringe just a bit for months afterwards." 

"Yeah. That's our Bunny Boy." Nichole shrugged. "At least there's no actual newsies out there clamoring for the big scoop on the dreaded pickpocket and interference case." Then she saw him approaching the front doors, "And there he is, Love ya." And she blew Clauhauser a kiss before sauntering over to intercept Julius. 

"Don't you look like the urban warrior today." Julius gave Nichole an appraising once over. She really did look like something in her tacticals. 

Nichole looked at Julius' outfit with just a touch of dismay; it was just his duty blues. She didn't want to say anything, but her face betrayed her concern.

"Don't worry, 'Mom', I'll have my vest on too when we go out." Julius rolled his eyes at her. He waved to Clauhauser and headed to the bullpen.

As predicted, Hopps and Wilde got traffic patrol to give them some distance from the smart 'phone crowds. 

"So, who's driving?" 

"You can't be serious?" 

"I know the city."

"As a pedestrian or on public transit. You drive like a nervous old ewe." 

To that Nichole huffed. The Bunny Boy was grudgingly right; she was not a well-practiced driver. She'd gone through the academy driver-training course, and was not going to reveal how poorly she'd done. "And how can I not get any better without any practice?" 

"Tell you what, let's see how the day goes, and then we can risk swapping out?"

Nichole pouted but only for a moment. She could play with the cruiser's data system and keep an eye on all the street action while Julius drove. 

And so it went. A couple moving violations, equipment write-ups, a jaywalker, even a couple very badly parked cars. Nothing serious or obnoxious. Then.

"Is that car parked in the street?" Julius observed a hot red muscle car apparently stopped in the lane just ahead. No, it was creeping along at a less than walking pace. Nichole called up the plate.

She made a small, knowing smile. "Oh, poor Dash. Let's pull him over and I'll talk to him, but this might take a while." 

Julius hit the lights and got directly behind the car. Nichole got on the loud speaker, "Alright, hot shot, pull over!" 

And over the next minute, the car inched over to the curb. Julius began to fume. "What the hailstones?!"

"Relax Carrots. Like I said, I'll talk to him, but you might want to, I dunno, take a nap or something."

Julius watched as Nichole talked to the driver at some length, then came back to consult with him. "Flash is an old friend and I'd like to drive him back home. He knows he really shouldn't be out on the street, but he just wanted a little taste." 

Then Julius saw the driver begin to exit the vehicle. "A Sloth!?"

"Yeah. He's a great guy, actually, a motor head wannabe. He even has a special permit to drive slow, like it was heavy equipment, with restrictions on when and where. Technically, he's legit right now, though forgot to put his hazards on. I want to give him a little speed time and then back to his place." 

"You, speed time?" 

"Well, even my driving is hotter than anything he can do, and we can catch up while we do it. It has been a while. You can escort me." She gave him her best 'give the guy a break' pleading smile. 

"Well, it has been a quiet day, so what the heck." 

Then Julius spent the next way too many minutes waiting for the sloth, who's name was actually Fabio Escobar, to get out of the driver's side and around to the passenger side of the car. Using the cruiser's data system, he then looked up the natural history of sloths, the historic range of sloths, the various national origins of sloths and the surprisingly large body of art by and about sloths. Then, Nichole signed that she was ready to go. 

And Julius spent a leisurely better part of an hour following Nichole as she cruised though downtown, then onto the beltway and through some rather nice picturesque byways in the Rain Forest district. Finally, arriving back on the other side of the block where they first saw the red racer. Nichole pulled the car into a garage then got out, holding the door for 'Flash' to get out. A final chat, and she came back.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Nichole beamed as she got back into her seat.

"I have to admit that for the first, half hour or so, it was all WTF, but yeah, it wasn't so bad." Julius conceded. "And your driving wasn't all that awful, at least this time." And he had to admire her calm patience and courtesy in a situation that would have likely enraged him all too early on, being too hyper for such. 

"So I get to drive next- "

The comm did an emergency squawk, and dispatch calls, "Officer needs assistance!" 

"Which way!" Julius cinches his restraints tighter.

"Straight and then a right at the light!" Nichole has the data display out and is ready to serve as navigator. 

The Bunny stomps on the gas and the Fox is unpleasantly reminded how much power the cruiser really had. And how agile he can maneuver such a massive vehicle through traffic. She white-knuckles her way through the ride, calling out turns, and belatedly 'eeping' as he prenaturally seemed to avoid hitting anything or anyone. 

They rolled up on the scene as it's called out as secured. Along with the breath of relief that the crisis was over, Nichole had to give Julius a look. "How did you DO that?" 

"On the farm we kits needed to learn how to drive early, and there was plenty of private roads and paths to learn on before we ever became street legal." He said, simply enough. "And as there were always other kits underfoot all the time, we got used to looking for and anticipating potential hazards and such."

Nichole considered the trip for a second, then conceded, "Okay, you get to drive."


	9. Chapter 9

So nice to wake up to a nice warm cuddle- Whoa! Nichole bolted up with a start. Celeste was there with her. It would have not been so bad were it not a surprise. 

"What's with the snuggle?"

The little Coyote made an apologetic face, "I had a bad dream." 

Nichole smiled in sympathy. "Something to talk out?"

"I dunno. It was about you, and Allen and the rest of the force. All the familiar faces were gone. Just strangers left. As though none of you were ever there." She tried to make it sound trivial, and that it was no big thing, but her evident condition made it clear she was deeply disturbed. 

Nichole stroked the coyote's ears to sooth her. "Okay, sweets, you've not lost your evil Aunty so easily. And when we go on shift in - " She looked to her clock and groaned, "Another couple hours," Too late to bother to try to get anymore sleep before their normal get up time. "I'll see to it that you'll regret ever knowing any of us familiar faces." 

Celeste made a wane smile at that. "Such is the dubious result of having social connections. I never had friends or lasting locations to have separation anxiety dreams about before." 

Nichole carefully didn't think about a few nightmare themes that had plagued her past. Then, to break the mood, "Say, let's get ready and then go out for a proper breakfast, none of those ghad-awful crunchy bars." 

"I LIKE crunchy bars." Celeste grumped. 

"Says the bone eating scavenger." Nichole shot back.

"I never! Well, not normally." Celeste made a wry grin at the memory of her Uncle's awful soups and stews. 

In short order, far from the stereotype of females taking forever, the pair were stepping out, crisp and fresh in their ZPD tactical suits. Nichole was getting used to hers. With adjustments, it both looked good and felt reasonable, and with most of her gear in her vest and off her beltline, didn't make her butt look big. Not like that was an issue for the slender Vixen. 

Celeste actually benefited from the visual bulk of some of her gear on her belt and she was trying the short rigid torso armor today that gave her a hint of top curve. 

"As it's my idea, I'll treat you to a seriously civilized breakfast." Nichole knew a place. Not too ostentatiously fancified, more old school civilized than ferociously fashionably classist. The wait staff would have preferred the ladies come dressed for the meal, but were the kind to never hint disapproval at the utilitarian uniforms. 

"Is Anton still in back?" Nichole inquired as they were lead to their table, and the Waiter's cool facade twitched just a fraction at that. Anton was one of the secret weapons of the kitchen, all but a password to special treatment. 

"And who shall I say is asking?" He whispered. 

Nichole lived for these kinds of little games, and drew him close to whisper back, "Tell him 'Ruby-butt's' friend needs an introduction to some real food." And gave him an exaggerated wink and genuine smile. 

Celeste wasn't going to be too much the ignorant rube, but had to react a bit, "Wow, this is really nice. And you know someone here?" She whispered. 

Nichole made a theatric huff, "I keep telling you I know everyone. But Anton was a running buddy with Finnick back in the bad old days, so he's special." 

Then Celeste noticed that they had not been offered a menu. "Uhm, some kind of surprise meal?"

"When you invoke Anton, it might be on or off menu, but it will be exactly right for you in that moment. He's a magician." And Nichole winked. 

An espresso for Nichole and black tea for Celeste, then some small pastries. Herb-spiced, bug filled, with just a hint of a honey glaze on the flaky shell. 

"Ooh, these are so good!" Celeste let her tail wriggle in enthusiasm. 

Nichole winked, "But wait, there's more."

Small decanted soufflés, with diced candied fruit and a vinegar drizzle for a sweet and sour effect for Nichole and an array of artistically sliced and arranged sweet pepper rings and salsa for Celeste's version. 

Then an array of little finger foods, some meaty, some fruity, some tiny breads and cakes, and a scatter of grapes and kumquats. 

Then, along with some more hot drinks to finish, a tiny presentation of sugar sculpture holding a single perfect blueberry for each. 

"Yeah, Anton remembers." Nichole sighed. She then glanced at her watch. "And worth getting in late for work for." 

Celeste blanched at the prospect but Nichole waved her down, "Relax, just tell your boss that you did a real breakfast at Bobby's on Vine, and if he knows anything, he'll understand. And, if anything, wish you'd invited him." She sipped her coffee, "Even regular breakfast here is something, we just got Anton's individual attention. You ought to try the Sunday buffet. "She rolled her eyes to the sky. 

As they got ready to go, Celeste noticed that there had been no bill presented. 

"Yeah, I know, He's given us his special, but we can't let him get away with that." Nichole winked and she had her wallet out and began peeling off bills. Their waiter saw that and rushed over, waving his paws 'no'. To that, Nichole gave him a look and thumbed her police badge to emphasize her authority. The waiter pursed his lips in annoyance, then shrugged and nodded. "Tell that silly sand cat that he hasn't lost his touch. And thank you all for a delightful morning."

Outside, Celeste gushed about the food, of course, but was a bit shocked at how much money Nichole left on the table. "That must have been something like a hundred you paid. And even after he was giving it to us." 

Nichole drew herself up and did her best over-the-top posh accent. "My dear, Bobby's is the kind of place that commonly charges an arm and a leg, but once you're done, you feel like you got away with a steal. You don't feel that I got cheated by paying do you?"

"Oh, gosh, no. If I'd have known, I'd have tossed in a bunch myself." 

"Exactly. And, actually, I did overpay a bit, but that's just to remind Anton how much I appreciate him from the bad old days." She then tapped her badge, "And in uniform, we can be seen doing anything that could be construed the wrong way. "The last said almost in a huff. 

"I was so hoping that being part of the hero saviors of Zootopia would earn me all kinds of perks, but NoOo!" But she then laughed. Even my Bunny Boy still has to pay full price for everything. True, He'd Never do anything with even the appearance of being untoward, but what's the use of being a hero if you can't cash in on it once in a while."

Celeste gave her an appalled look, to which Nichole burst into a belly laugh. "Sweetie, if I ever stop pulling your leg with that kind of thing, figure I've been replaced with a pod person or something." Then she got a bit more sober, "And if you see me actually doing something underhanded, same thing. But, ask me before you go to IA, as there are times when I have to do a little dance for the job that might look off." 

Nichole had wondered, feared actually, that she might not be able to resist temptation while on the job, but as she got into the habit of being a proper citizen, it became easier to do the right thing. Having the Bunny Boy at her elbow didn't hurt, but her restraint had become more genuine over time and she found she was not missing that aspect of the bad old days nearly so much.

The two parted ways and Nichole cruised into Precinct One and the briefing room just as Bogo was wrapping up assignments. "So glad you could make it, Wilde." He snorted.

"Sorry, sir, but you just can't rush breakfast at Bobby's, ya know." Nichole breezily explained.

The buffalo's face stiffened. Then he mouthed, not even whispered, 'was Anton there?'. 

The foxes arched eyebrows answered and he let loose a tiny groan. Then caught himself before the large and somewhat puzzled audience. "A'right everyone. To your posts."

Julius gave Nichole such a look. "Bobby's? A restaurant, I gather?"

"A very nice restaurant that you will have to be Very Good if you want me to reveal its many enchantments." 

"Yet you go - with your current beau?" 

Nichole feigned shock, "Julius P., you're jealous! And yes, I did go with a special someone. Celeste, actually. We were up early and I thought I'd give her a taste of real living." 

"Good for you, getting her out more." And at that, Julius had an idea. "What do you think about Celeste and Allen and you and I go out on the town together?"

Nichole gave the mad rabbit such a look, "Are you suggesting some kind of double date?" 

"Oh - . I guess so." Julius had not thought about it in those terms, but there it was. 

Nichole gave him an examining once over. Sure, he was her Bunny Boy, but 'dating' could be such a loaded word. Especially with the somewhat overheated enthusiasm of her little Coyote and that super ranger scout Whitehorse. And what could they do with the two teens that wouldn't seem like stodgy old poops? 

"Let me think about it."

In short order, Nichole recalled a nice venue for both dinner and dancing. It was a bit retro, sort of early '60s streamlined, old-school menu and a good lounge singer with some good slow dancing potential for the kids. She just hoped it wouldn't be too old fashioned. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to go for the raver scene or some similar raucous setting. That brought a smile as she recalled her own punk wannabe phase. Thank the Fates that all her piercing healed over. 

Getting reservations was no problem, but what to wear? She had a few things and suspected she could get Celeste into something other than denim. But the boys? 

"Finn, I need your help."

"See, I tol' you that you'd forget me 'til you needed some'pin'." The Fennec harrumphed.

"Don't be that way, besides, I heard you'd gotten yourself a bit busy?" And she gave him a leering grin.

'Ah, yeah." The little sand dog backpeddled. They were actually still on great terms, but he always played up his 'tragically abused and neglected fate' shtick to open. "So, what's up?"

"I want to take Bunny Boy and the Wolf to Vector Friday night, and know they don't have anything appropriate to wear."

"Vector, eh? Kinda classy for ya, I mean, afteh las' time?" 

Nichole's ear reddened just a tad at that old memory. "You are the most terrible little dog, I swear. But I want to get the hicks up to speed on real city living, and what better way than to start with the classics?"

"Classics it is, then." 

And in short order Finnick had the pair outfitted. "Not the most expensive, heck, they'd try ta sell ya burlap for a thou' if they could get away wit' it. But real quality is all about the shoppin'." 

Julius and Allen appraised their new duds, stylish sport coats and complementary shirts and slack. Vector didn't require ties, and if they were going to do any dancing, he figured light polo shirts instead. The cut was a bit retro, timeless to his taste, but more modern colors, lighter warm greys for the wolf and charcoal for the bunny. Perfect for the special night.

"We owe you big time for this, Finn." Julius kept shooting his sleeves and testing the drape of his jacket. "I'll have to hit you up for some shirts and ties to go with this."

"Ha! Nikki can do that. She'd love ta do dress up on ya, given the chance. Just time crunched to get things done this time. But, yeah, remember this the next time ya come around kickin' in doors." 

Allen looked genuinely dismayed and Julius theatrically recoiled in shock and surprise. "Gasp! That we would have cause to harass an upstanding citizen like yourself! Perish the thought. Besides, Nichole says you're the very model of moral rectitude nowadays." 

"Ruby-Butt is fulla' beans too. But, yeah, new gig, new squeeze. Just what I need to keep the po po from any pretext ta jack me up." And he winked to make sure he knew he was among friends, even if they were the boys in blue.

Then the big night. 

Julius had a rental to drive everyone, kind of hard to be smooth, riding the metro with your date. He pulled up to Nichole and Celeste's building and Allen jumped out to open doors for the ladies. The pair came out, looking stunning. Nichole had a deep burgundy dress, simply styled, high neck in front, back cut down for her fluffed out neck and shoulder ruff to stand out. Celeste had her coat brushed down to emphasize her slender build in a sleek black sheath. 

"Looking good, Nichole, though I was worried you'd dig up that outfit from the Night Howler thing." 

Nichole cringed at the thought of that awful and awfully revealing bare slip of a thing she worn as a disguise back then. "You wish. But I'm glad Finn was able to deliver. You boys look good enough to eat." And she made a little lip-licking leer to got with that. "What do you think?" Referring to Celeste. 

The poor coyote could only blush as she gazed on her Wolf who was equally besotted with her. 

Nichole grinned and nudged Julius to notice the two younger mammals. 

He smiled, but Nichole noticed something else too. Was it nostalgia for some teen fling in his past, or a touch of wishful thinking for what he and she were not about at the moment?

She didn't want to think about that too much. They had a good thing going so far, not that there were times when her imagination ran off into unwanted directions. But she didn't want to go there for all kinds of reasons. But enough of such negative vibes. They were going out on the town and by the Fates they were going to have a good time.

And they did. 

Dinner was a delight. The menu was mostly retro, with little effort to camouflage the meat dishes, a fish fillet for Allen, chicken and rice for Celeste, and a bug-n-berry tart for Nichole. Julius had a more modern dish of Asian-fusion shoot bundles with dipping sauces. 

Then there was the music. A Coyote and Bear tenor and bass plus a fine jazz band playing a string of classic torch songs. No doubt to accommodate the various dance partners who slowly wheeled across the floor, oblivious to all but each other. 

Nichole and Julius were largely content to watch, as Julius insisted he was a terrible dancer. Nichole didn't mind, as she could sit back and relax; reflecting on how well the day had gone for a change. She looked at her Bunny Boy. "Were you ever that young?" Nodding towards the dancers. 

"If you mean the gushy couple part, no." He made a little face. "I was an insufferable, self-righteous little prat when I was a kit, all about The Rules. Wised up a bit later, but was still the over-weaned model of self-restraint. Not that anyone would have anything to do with me by that time." He chuckled in sad reflection, "Not that I was about to Do anything with anyone. Keep in mind we're all rabbits, and 'doing things' was what we do best. So, I was a bit of a freak." 

Nichole cocked her head, "So, you've never 'done things'?"

Julius looked at her, and was surprised to see there was no mocking smirk with it. He rolled his eyes, "No, not really. By the time I realized that 'doing things' was not exactly against The Rules, I'd gotten very responsible and more focused on my great life's mission." He nodded to the couple on the dance floor, "Think they're going to be 'doing things' anytime soon?"

Nichole considered them a moment. "Not likely any time soon. The nose knows." She tapped the side of her snout, "I'd guess that they were both a bit lonely coming into this and are simply enthralled with having the comfort of a really good cuddle." She looked meaningfully to Julius, "We canids value the social comfort of close contact a lot. Sex is all well and good, but having the assurance of The One next to you at the end of the day counts for a lot more."

"Oh." Julius said simply, looking down at his paw, oh so close to hers.

And at that, things got just a tad quiet between them. 

But the night wrapped up well enough. The two youngsters had the time of their life and the two oldsters had to admit to a great time too. Julius had to point out, however, that he was Not an old fart, less than five years senior to the babies in blue, and it was only the crone in red who suffered from decrepitude. To that, Nichole did a quick shimmy and shake number to demonstrate that she still had the stuff. 

When it came time to drop off the girls, Allen wanted to escort Celeste to their door, preferably alone. Nichole and Julius grinned like loonies to see the pair shamble into the building in an awkward sideways hug. 

"Thanks for the wonderful evening 'Ruby-Butt'." 

"You too, Bunny Boy." 

She leaned in to give him a friendly little peck while he tippy-toed up to do the same and they made contact. And lingered for just a few seconds. Then pulled away to mutual shy smiles. 

"In the morning." 

"Blegh! There you going ruining the mood again."

As she watched him get back in the car to wait for the silly wolf, Nichole felt a bit of a flush, and more than just her ears.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, finally, a hint of the sexy time that I'd promised. But, as I don't have Selaxes' romantic flair, and I'm not all that keen on graphic descriptions of plumbing, you just might miss it.

Whitefoot and Jefferson were at once an odd match, she a spunky little coyote and he a grizzled old mountain lion. But they had both come out of the territories in their own times, spoke the Old Tongue to each other and had adapted an instinct of predator woodcraft to the urban environment. True, she was still new to big city culture, and he was confounded by all the newfangled technology that was imposing itself into his old school policing. But they worked well to each other's strengths, covered each other's weaknesses and made a rather good team. 

Getting back to their cruiser after a short lunch break, he knew a place that did chicken without modern delicate sensibilities (not hiding the fact that its actually chunks of flesh) Whitefoot saw a can of mask-all on the dashboard that wasn't there when they left. She looked to her partner.

'Uhm - seasonal - " He muttered, looking very embarrassed. His provincial notions of what a respectful male was and was not suppose to notice in females not his mate made any mention of her condition rather uncomfortable. 

"Oh? OH! Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I hadn't noticed." And now she was embarrassed for his sake. 

He shrugged, paying rapt attention to the traffic outside. "I can wait." 

Whitefoot went back to the diner to use the toilet to spray herself down. It was a thing that happens, so no one thought anything of it. However, as she took care of business, she had to wonder what she was going to do that night. She had planned to go out with Whitehorse, her big floof of a wolf friend. While they were all goo goo about each other, they were both hesitant to actually say 'boy friend' or 'girl friend'. 

Estrus meant sex, or at least a rather heightened awareness and desire for it, and while it didn't necessarily mean reproduction nowadays, it was a social complication she wasn't entirely prepared for. She figured that they might eventually 'do it', but hopefully not too soon or in a fit of mindless mating.

But. 

He was her yummy puppy, and she could tell he was interested in going further in their relationship. Not just the obvious intimate 'next step' but becoming a committed couple. But that was a big step, and as this was her first real experience, there were a lot of unknowns still. She also worried that, as they were both fairly young, they might grow apart over time. She'd heard of it before in other's relationships. She was not so love blind to think this was 'that perfect match that would defy the ages' kind of thing. 

But.

There was something to be said for just doing it. Or so she'd heard. One didn't have to commit to anything beyond the passion of the moment. Various one-night stands and quick hormone hook-ups were a thing that some folks did. Not that she'd take anything with him too casually, she did respect him for more than a quickie, but there was something to consider in a test run, so to speak. 

But.

Was this all just rationalizing while in the throes of her body and instincts clamoring for procreation? Being a grown-up was so hard at times like this. 

She called Nichole. 

"What's up, Pup?"

"Can I have the apartment tonight?"

"A hot date?"

"I kind of hope not."

"Oh?"

"It's that time. And I don't really know, ya know?"

"Poor Pup. Well, your big bad wolf ought to treat you right, regardless of what you decide. And this gives me a pretext to hang out with Bunny Boy. Take care of yourself, Sweetie."

00000

The end of a long and not too terrible shift. Julius looked over at his partner, his Vixen, and gave her a goofy smile.

"What's that about?" Nichole, always the suspicious one, peered back at her pesky partner. 

"Just enjoying the view." 

To that, Nichole gave him a particularly sloppy raspberry, which only made him smile all the more.

How lucky can a buck be, to have someone like her in his life? Not just that she was a sharp looking vixen, though that didn't hurt by a long shot. He was no pred-baiter, but she had that something-something that would make almost any male take notice. But she could have been almost any species and that wit, that mind, that soul, would still be the real attraction of her. 

And now they were talking about sharing an apartment. More than simply roommates, but not quite a couple. They still needed to talk to Bogo about that. Technically, the ZPD disapproved of fraternization in the ranks for any number of perfectly good reasons, but the pair were something of an anomaly, and Bogo had some discretion in applying policy.

Nichole recovered and gave him a cunning little smile back. 

"uhoh. I can tell you've got your sly fox thing going on. So what's up?" 

"I just remembered Celeste wants the apartment tonight, so that gives us an opportunity to - ." She leered, "Overnight." 

Julius rolled his eyes. "Promises, promises." 'Overnight' usually meant dinner and bad movies and a round of grooming that settled into a comfortable cuddle that ended up being a sleep over. Both of them had considered 'other things' but preferred to avoid the subject for 'reasons'. But they both joked about lurid and lecherous activity, mainly to keep the rest of the Precinct talking. Poor Clauhauser in particular was desperately shipping on them. Rumor had it that he was running a pool on the various whats, wheres, and whens of the pair's relationship. 

"So, what will it be?" Julius mused. 

"Pizza! And for our viewing pleasure, "Them"." Nichole suggested. Well, pizza was a demand, one that he could agree to, as long as it wasn't too meaty. 

"Don't know about the movie though, I'd actually want to properly watch it." Though most old monster movies were pretty awful, cheaply slapped together matinee fodder, good for little more than background noise, Julius really liked those that made an earnest effort. "Them" being one of his favorites. 

Nichole huffed. "Damn right then, can't have you distracted in the middle of the full Hopps treatment." After a moment. "How about "Son of Dracula"?"

"The Ringoh Star version?" 

"What else?"

"Ya know I had the record forever before I knew it was actually a movie."

00000

Celeste got back to the apartment after shift and did a quick walk though to pick up and straighten out the odds and ends that her less than tidy roommate had left laying around. Nichole wasn't that bad a roomie, for a trickster fox, and half the time, even her messes were more a matter of a deliberate joke than casual disregard. That was supposed to be her role, as a coyote, but Celeste made a point of living against type and was the most predictable and boring beast. 

Once the place was ready, then Celeste began to fret about what she was going to do about herself. A serious shower to start, of course, but what to deal with the smell? Mask-all could do it, but it was as much a not entirely pleasant cover scent as it was an odor killer. Celeste looked to Nichole's array of stuff. She tended to load up on hormonal suppressants that stopped it at the source. Perhaps she should look into such in the future. 

Celeste was a bit late to hit puberty, and it hadn't been all that hard a hit, as she still looked all too much like a cub, and heretofore hadn't been all that obvious in her time. So this was catching her a bit off guard. But Nichole's arsenal included some neutralizing and masking scents that weren't too nasty and Celeste took the chance on one. 

Then a good brush down and some casual clothes. Things that were easy to remove, a part of her brain chastised, but they often did some grooming and cuddling anyway, so that shouldn't ought to be an issue, should it?

Then, what to eat? She had several items in the freezer, and they could go out. There were plenty of good eats within a short walking distance. They could play it by ear. 

She fretted a bit about things and the time and then the knock on the door ought to be Him, and Celeste's belly tightened in anxiety.

And there he was with a big goofy grin and a "Hi!" that immediately collapsed into concern. "You okay?" 

That damn nose of his, catching her nervousness.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit - " Celeste grimaced. 

Then Allen's face morphed again, to an awkward half-smile, his nose clearly working over-time. "Oh. Is this a bad time for you?" He was a bit embarrassed for her sake. 

"Yes - ah, No! Come in." Celeste never got flustered and what was happening to her?

"Celeste, I've got a Mom and an older Sister, so, seriously, if you're - uh - ya know."

Celeste whined in her conflicting emotions, then, "I'm sorry. Let's sit down and talk."

00000

Nichole regarded her bunny boy as she kneaded his shoulders. Though shorter, he was as buff as one could get for a Rabbit, not a lot of bulk, but a wiry solid under that velvety fur and loose skin. Many were the time she joked about that, how she could almost make a second one of him just by pulling up all the slack in his pelt. 

And that was one of his secret weapons. It made him look particularly soft and harmless, good for dealing with nervous citizen, and an extra layer of surprise when he needed to get physical with belligerent subjects. 

He also felt so good, in a silky, velvety way, and with all the - uhm - 'seasonal talk', there were aspects of his musculature that she found herself speculating about. So much so that she was interrupted from her reverie with a little "Uhm!" from Julius.

Her paws had migrated around to his chest and were now more caressing him, all too much like foreplay, rather than a practical rub down. 

"As you seemed to be drifting off, I though I'd better ask you if you're getting serious about what you seemed to be doing."

"I don't know. What do you think, about - ?"

"Well, as an all too healthy male Lago, the stereotypical response would be 'all the time, every day and all night'. But I'd want lunch breaks and nap time." He pulled away to turn and get a better look at her. "As we've hinted at before, I'd be there for you only as much or as far as you're up for." He gave her a more questioning and concerned look. "Is there anything - ?"

"Well, poor Celeste is getting 'anxious' and is really struggling about her relationship with Allen. Poor puppy."

Julius let go a contemplative little chuckle, "If there was ever a Dog who'd be gentle with her, He'd be my guess." 

"Yeah." Nichole offered a rather maternal smile with that thought. "But it got me thinking about us a bit more." She reached towards Julius again, brushing his chest. 

"I think I could consider 'things' with you, ya know." And she really could. Beyond the visceral lack of threat that he presented, being 'merely' a bunny, as well as his smaller stature and lacking the sense of entrapment that a canid knot symbolized, she had come to trust him. Really trust him, in that razor blade to the carotid artery, or hold her very soul in his paws level that she never thought she'd share with anyone. 

She pulled herself to him and gave him a rather not chaste kiss, lips, teeth and tongues and an intensity of embrace that they had both skirted around for so long. When they finally disengaged, after the initial 'whoosh' of surprise and caught breath, Nichole had to let got a small laugh. 

"Now that's what I'm talking about. No more pecks on the cheek with you." 

In a mock announcer voice, Julius explained, "And that's why they call him the Love Bunny." And smirked, ever so. 

"The Love Bunny, eh?" She gave him an appraising look. "Now let's see about that." 

They proceeded with enthusiasm. After all the grooming and massage sessions, they had a fairly good notion of each other's bodies, and now they had license to explore more intimate aspects. Given they were different species, as well as in consideration of earlier concerns, they proceeded with an extra level of care and courtesy, which, if anything, added to the experience. 

Julius had only the briefest prior experience, a few furtive, fevered, and ultimately fumbling moments with an equally inexperienced Doe back in his senior year, and found this more leisurely and unpressured moment to be everything the past encounter wasn't. 

Nichole had had an extended intimate relationship with another vixen years ago, and while it was fun, it was never entirely satisfying, and not in the obvious physical sense. While they could 'scratch each other's itch' there was a bit of selfish isolation in it, and they parted ways without much sense of a broken relationship behind it. But with her bunny boy, she felt like she was really with a companion, and she carefully indulged in the kind of attention he was offering. 

Julius was not one to miss or abuse her receptive gesture. And the one thing he was certain of was that the more typical rabbity approach to things was not going to work well. So, with great force of will, he took his approach ever so slowly. And much to his delight, that felt awfully good. That she was enjoying his efforts ever so was even better, as he was rather concerned that he wasn't going to measure up to her physiometric needs. 

For her part, Nichole knew and appreciated Bunny Boy's effort. The physical nature of it was nice enough, even with the somewhat different geometry. He didn't have a knot, but she had a firm grip on what he did have, and they seemed to be able to make the most of it. But even better was that sense of being well and truly mated in the ways that really counted. 

00000

Of course, for Celeste and Allen, the serious discussion quickly broke down between the two lusty young mammals. Though, to their credit, they did spend some serious foreplay time, just to better understand their bodies and the way things work. You know, for science. 

All joking aside, it was a sweet and gentle exploration, and they didn't make the mistake of being too grimly serious, too determined to 'get it right' or otherwise try to match some preconception as to how it was done. Of course there was some fumbling, but they could laugh at themselves over it. But neither Celeste nor Allen were quite willing to take that final step too soon. 

Finally, while laying side by side in yet another gently passionate kiss, they both noticed that, due to her relatively short stature, they had a convenient alignment between them not possible for a more conventional wolf-to-wolf posture. Allen gave Celeste a 'are you sure' look and she returned with a little smirk as she shifted just a bit to wrap her legs around him, making her interest all too obvious. 

It wasn't perfect, but it wonderful, and beyond the knot, neither were in any hurry to break the connection, even well after that was possible. There was more kissing, and ever so delicate caresses and even a few playful ear scritches. 

They would have been entirely happy to drift off for the evening just so, but other practical biology as well as some muscle cramps and circulation issues began to spoil the effect. 

They disengaged and separately took care of business, but then decided they needed a bit of a shower and shared that. Not quite to the level of foreplay, but they did spend a good long time in there getting each other clean. Drying and grooming became an extended languorous affair as the besotted young couple enjoyed their mutual attentions. 

Then into bed. Not for another round, but the practicality of a very busy evening's activity now demanding some sleep. Yet sleep didn't come too soon, as they snuggled in together, their 'conversation' reduced to little hums and coos, and the occasional giggle. Sure, they were 'grown-ups' and this marked the likely beginning of a lifetime together, one that they, for the moment, had the greatest confidence in. But at the same time, they were still young enough to be in awe of the really fun thing they'd discovered between them. 

00000

It was Nichole who suggested that all four get together for brunch the next day. A nice little place not far away. 

Nichole and Julius were there first, arriving rather earlier to enjoy some private time, even if it was just sitting across from each other, thinking happy thoughts back and forth. 

"This means we've got to do something about our partner situation, you know." She muttered into her cup of coffee. 

"Oh?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to leave you alone any moment longer than I have to, if last night is any indication."

Julius blushed dramatically. "Really? So all that talk about our deep relationship heretofore was just a lure for you to have your savage way with me?"

Nichole blushed just a bit too. "Actually, it wasn't your masculine prowess, as adequate as it was." To which Julius harrumphed in indignation. "But that I had, and would like to think, you had, was a bit of a thing. Mated isn't a word we take lightly, but - " 

"OH MY!" Julius said in his best imitation of GT. "The big M? Are you sure about that? I'd like to think I'm all in for it, but I know you've had reservations about that kind of thing." 

"Yeah. But I've grown accustomed to your face." And they both smiled at that. "My Fair Lady" was the one musical she really loved, though her reaction to the romance was at times bittersweet. 

"I suppose we'll have to work up some kind of accommodation with Bogo too." Julius sighed. 

"Yeah." Then Nichole caught sight of Celeste and Allen. "But it looks like there won't be any problem shuffling room mates around." 

Julius turned around to look and had to repeat, "OH MY!" at the goofy couple. He didn't want to think of himself as a sentimental old fart, but seeing the pair of bouncy young canids was just the cutest thing. 

He turned back to Nichole and they shared grins.


	11. Chapter 11

"What do you think about a trip back to the 'Burrow?" Julius warily asked his partner. 

Nichole didn't quite scowl, Julius' family wasn't much a problem, but as a city born Vixen, she had a hard time feeling comfortable among all those provincial bunnies. She had to watch her tongue as much as her teeth and claws, least she shock their delicate sensibilities, and that chaffed. 

That, and the two of them had heretofore kept their public relationship as purely professional, even as they had become deeply connected, and now were physical lovers as well. 

"You know how awkward it can get, though I'd half hope that this time it would be to show off your new girl friend." She challenged.

"Oh Cheese! How did you find out about Sally? Julius recoiled in mock horror.

"What? Sally? What happened to Janice?" Nichole came back with a laugh.

"Seriously." Julius abruptly shifted tone, "You really want to drop that bomb on them?" But before she could answer, "Actually, I was thinking about doing just that, but thought we ought to discuss it first."

"Well, I'd guess that your Mother might suspect already, it's part of their special mom powers." 

"Yeah. And it isn't like one of my sisters and a fox. Could you imagine the prey-chaser row that would cause?" 

"If she had come to the big city, your Dad would have a whole arsenal of anti-fox gear to give her." Nichole chuckled at that. "But, ya know, you might have an odd sort of leg up on things. Male bunny subdues female fox, prey-pred roles reversed, or some such." 

"So, you want me to stock up on BDSM gear for the trip?" And both of them shared an 'ooh-ick' expression at that idea.

Then Nichole had a thought, "So, what brought the idea of a trip up just now?" To which Julius made a little guilty grimace.

"I floated the idea of a short bit of time off, just a long weekend, and Bogo made a counter offer."

"oh-oh."

"He'd give us a whole week, if we'd go in uniform and do some diversity outreach." 

Nichole cringed. While she didn't mind the events all that much, it did tend to feel like some kind of lame propagandistic show at times. And even after all this time, the bunny and fox in blue was still something of a novelty act and petty harassment magnet. 

"How much show-and-tell did he have in mind?" 

"Just four one-hour sessions in the local schools and some city-county co-ordination briefings. I know Sheriff Clark so that part won't be too bad. And we get the two weekends along with it."

"Thirteen days (base-eight) in the bucolic wilderness?" 

"Uh huh."

"And we only have to be in blue for the events?"

Julius made a face. "Bogo wants us to take a cruiser, and we're expected to be in uniform when we're driving."

Nichole growled. Then sighed. "Not the best deal, but if we're to get this as detached duty rather than charged against vacation time, I can live with it."

00000

Julius drove and Nichole managed the music selection, mostly 'sixties pop tunes this time, as they headed off to the 'Burrow. To make the most of the weekend start, they were coming in on Friday night, first checking in with the sheriff's office, then a late night arrival at the Hopps compound. 

"I'm glad you chose to wear your tactical suit," and Julius made an ostentatious oogle of his Vixen's form. 

"Hey, in for a dime, in for a dollar. Besides, I make this look good." It was now almost a routine little back and forth, and was all too true. In her form-fitting suit, Nichole was a striking image of vulpine form as well as a dramatic example of ZPD's finest in a scale more approachable than the massive beasts more commonly associated with the force. 

Julius was in his simple duty blues. He'd brought his tactical vest along, with all his gear of course, but didn't have it on at the moment for the drive.

Bunny Burrow after dark was pretty quiet, only a diner, bar, and overnight gas station were visibly open as they cruised through on their way to the little Sheriff's office. It was just a local auxiliary, the main office was in the county seat, but the lights were on and a couple deputies were on hand.

"Oh my!" Exclaimed one of the deputies, a Whitetail Buck, "I didn't really believe it! A fox and a bunny!" He approached with a big smile and open hoof. "Deputy Sylvan, an' this is Deputy Jasper," Indicating the Javelina behind the desk. "Heard about you, Officer Hopps, of course, but you, Officer Wilde, I presume, takes a bit to wrap my head around." 

"Don't I though." Nichole made a little pose to show off and smiled to be clear she took no offense. There were smiles and chuckles all around. 

"We got a notice that you'd be in the jurisdiction and all. Shouldn't be any problem if anything crops up." 

"We certainly hope there won't be anything to complicate our visit." 

After a bit of minor shoptalk and discussion of scheduling for the co-ordination briefings, Nichole and Julius were off to the Hopps compound. 

"Even though it's a Friday night, I wouldn't expect all that many of the folks will be up, farm work doesn't know weekends and all." Julius mused, more to himself. As much as he felt a bit alienated from his family with his career pursuit, he still had a deep affection for them at their best and was looking forward to the visit.

Nichole looked over to her Bunny and smiled. She knew he missed his family and was happy for him. Her petty discomforts were a small price to pay for his happiness. And she might get some small entertainment value out of things. If nothing else, she did like the fluffle of the littlest kits. They only saw her as the Fluffy One, to delight in her deep coat and magnificent tail, rather than the one-time blood menace of their ancestors. 

"Uhoh." Julius was coming on the family compound and noticed all the lights on. And there were folks milling around. True it was a nice night, but it was also a bit late, and there were only a few things, several not so good, that would have all those bunnies up. "Nichole, I'm not sure what's up, but be ready for anything."

As the crowd caught sight of the ZPD cruiser, they came out to meet it, blocking the driveway and causing Julius to stop. He got his window down. "So, what's up?" 

A gaggle of his kin responded, "You!" or some version thereof. "We're here to see the pride of Zootopia!" 

Julius was confused; the Bellwether Plot was now old news, wasn't it? And even then, his heroics had only a measured response back home at the time. One of his Sisters saw his puzzlement. "All the prodigals happened to be back at the same time." And at that, he caught sight of his Brother Virgil in his dress uniform.

"Nichole, we're in luck! Got a real hero here." To which she only scowled in her own confusion. They parked the cruiser and piled out to hand shakes and back slaps. Seeing Nichole's foxy form, there was an anonymous wolf whistle from the crowd, to which she bowed in appreciation. 

But the real focus was on the two Rabbits in uniform. While Julius was the first Hopps to strike out for law enforcement in the big city, there was an understated tradition of the occasional Hopps going into national service. So there was Virgil, like his granduncle namesake, a member of the Zootopian National Defense Force and now a freshly minted lieutenant. 

'Hey little Brother, those bars suit you." Julius gripped his brother's arms to hold him apart for a second and examine his outfit before giving him a big hug. 

"All my crazy brother's influence." He whispered back. It was Julius' stubborn pursuit of his career that had helped open up the current generation to consider broader horizons. "Jeremy's here too." Another Hopps boy looking upwards, he was on break from Med School, aiming to be a doctor, another first for the clan. 

And there he was, making his way through the crowd. After sharing hugs, the three stood for snaps and regarded each other. They were a contrast, Jeremy was the tallest, head and shoulders above his sire, but with his color and something of his full round build. While Julius nearly as tall, it was in part his longer and atypically black tipped ears; he was also athletically leaner and uncommonly grey for the family. Virgil was about Julius' head height but had shorter bunny ears and a more sporty brown and tan coat. He would have matched the rounder form of many of his kin except that Army life kept him slimmed down. 

And after the photo opps, there was plenty of back slaps and handshakes and heartfelt hugs. Nichole stood off to the side; she still wasn't in the family yet and was content to let them mingle with their own. Then she sensed someone at her elbow.

"OH, Hello, Mrs. Hopps."

"Officer Wilde." Said carefully.

"Glad to see Julius with his family again." Nichole didn't dare look at the elder Doe. 

"But he's thriving in the city where he couldn't here." 

"That's - wow." Nichole was at a loss. "He mentioned that there were some 'issues', but - ."

Bonny took Nichole's paw and directed her away from the crowd, a stern glance keeping others from approaching or following. 

"We weren't always very supportive and he could be a bit of a self-righteous -." Bonny was cut off by Nichole's amused snort.

"Sorry!" Nichole attempted to keep from laughing out loud. "I so know what you mean! You know when we first met and all, how badly that went at first." Nichole could think more fondly on those bad old days, now with some time distant. "He still regrets how he acted back then." 

"Yes, more than a couple of his calls have been extended apology sessions." The old Doe grimaced, "And that went both ways."

Shifting gears, "You've been very attached to my Son all along, haven't you?" 

"Pretty much. True, at first, as you know, it didn't exactly start out that way. But, to be blunt, we were both a bit needy, and having gone through all that together was a pretty dramatic way to get close." Nichole smiled at some thoughts. "And we Have gotten closer still."

Nichole looked around, more to collect her thoughts than anything. "He is a big boy now, and he has grown into the city so much better than he was in the beginning. But I still worry, a lot."

"For your partner, or your - ?" 

"My friend? My - ." Nichole blushed, "Lover? I'd like to even say Mate, but that'd still a big step for both of us." She saw the rather mixed reaction to that in the elder Rabbit, but, thankfully, not the revulsion she feared for such a disparate interspecies relationship.

"That you've stuck with him for this amount of time says a lot for your level of dedication." 

Nichole let go a laugh, "Not that it hasn't had some challenges. But, yes." Nichole's tone got a bit more serious. "You know I didn't plan to be a cop." Bonny nodded at that. They'd had a heart to heart before. "Not by a long shot. But I saw how earnest he was in an over-wrought Ranger Scout way and he kind of hooked me on the idea." 

The pair of them reflected on their reactions to that from their earlier meeting. Now, there she was. A well-established officer and mate in all but name with that fool Bunny.

"And you still worry for him." 

"Its what a Mother does." 

Nichole was about to say something, as she was in uniform and had her gear on, her carry subtly pressed into her back. Perhaps that was too much information, something to worry about in its own right. Instead, "Yeah. I'll do my best to keep him safe, I promise." 

00000

With all the excitement, Julius suggested that their relationship bombshell could wait until the next day. That they were given a guest bedroom normally reserved for couples didn't go entirely unnoticed, but for the moment, was not a priority in the warren's grape vine.

"So, Mom didn't freak out when the two of you had your little talk?" Julius was unceremoniously stripping off his uniform for a prompt crash out. 

"No. It was mostly confirming suspicions and comparing notes." Nichole wasn't far behind, too tired for the typical groom out after a long day. 

"Oh oh. More terrible revelations of my wayward youth? Since you've already seen my baby pictures, it shouldn't be too awful." He plopped into bed and she joined him, a little cuddle before nesting in. 

"Hah! You'd be surprised." Nichole rubbed her Buck's ears, "No, the important part was reassuring her that I'd always have your back." 

"Just my back?" 

"I'm not about to tell her about what I do to your front, wicked bunny." 

They shared a little chuckle at that and settled into their typical spoon. When Julius brought Nichole's brush to his face for a little nuzzle, he recoiled in dismay. "What's this? Foreign bunny funk, and sticky bits?"

"I couldn't escape all the little ones, but they swore they got all the jam out afterwards." 

"Ready for a week of this?"

"Brought my industrial strength cleaning kit for just that." 

00000

Morning in the Hopps warren was a practiced flurry of action. While it was a semi-holiday with the reunion and related cheer, it was also a workday on the farm. But even that was a bit eased off, as Julius explained. "The busy times of the year are the early spring for prep and plantings and then the various harvest times later in the summer. We're in one of the relative slack times."

Eyeing the small regiment of bunnies already up and on their way out of the warren, Nichole marveled. "I'm glad we're not in a peak then. So what's up? Pulling weeds?"

"That too. And repairing fence lines, out-building maintenance, checking crops for growing progress and disease and bugs. We've got a lot of acres and a lot more than just carrots." 

"As I've been pointedly reminded. So how big is the Hopps Empire?" 

"Well, as we dare not let ourselves get too flabby in this bucolic setting, I'd figure a proper tour and we could hike the whole thing."

Nichole's ears and tail suddenly went limp with dismay at that. "A death march?"

"More a pleasant stroll among the greenery." 

"You know I'm allergic to 'greenery'."

"More a matter of physical exertion, you tired old thing." 

The walk was actually pretty pleasant, she had to admit, though after a while, she began to realize that 1200-odd (base 8) acres meant a square mile, which meant a four mile perimeter, and several fractions and multiples of that with the various fields of plantings meant that it was going to be a death march after all. 

But with pleasant company, her Buck, and over the course of the day, an ever-changing escort of the Hopps younger set, made for a tolerable trial. 

"I see where you crazy bunnies get your endurance, if this is a typical stroll through the yard." 

"As if your prowling around the city didn't involve similar distances?" 

"I'll have you know I never 'prowled', that's what the excellent public transport net is for." 

"Ahuh. And your intimate knowledge of every alley and sneak hole was divined from the seat of a metro?" 

"Some of them have rather unorthodox routes." 

They both laughed. Then Julius observed, "We ought to be back in time for lunch. Then later we could bomb the family with our terrible secret. 

So it was that Julius made the announcement over after dinner tea. It did not enjoy universal approval. 

"At least there was a minimum of shouting." 

"Yes, hardly any shouting at all." 

"And no one threw anything." 

'But it was a good thing it wasn't the good china, with all the dropped dishes and cups."

Nichole and Julius sat with a circle of family considering the aftermath. The summery of reactions was actually a somewhat jovial affair, as the bulk of reaction varied from 'so what' to 'about time' with a chorus of cheers from the littlest, the fluffy one was there to stay.

"You realize that you've now fallen in with a warren of mad bunnies, of course?" Observed Virgil. Others gave him a rather quirious look and he explained. "Having been out in the wider world beyond the 'burrow, its given me the perspective to see how normal mammals function. Wouldn't you agree, Doctor Hopps?

Jeremy straightens up, "Well, though it isn't March and the immediate population are not exactly Hares, there is, nevertheless, a touch of dementia afoot." Which brought a round of feigned shock and no few maniacal cackles from the group. Then, in anticipation, they all turned to Julius for his contribution to the silliness. 

"Don't look at me. I've been off to that madhouse of the big city, ya know, try everything?" And rolled his eyes and waggled his tongue. "But I suspect she knew the job was dangerous when she took it. Right, Dear?"

"Of course, my widdo sugar bun bun." Nichole mocked back. "You'd better not get into any bad habits regarding pet names and such. 'Dear' indeed." She turned to Bonny and in a faux conspiratorial whisper; "He's never called me anything but rusty rag mop before." 

The elder Doe recoiled, "Julius, I taught you better than that!" 

"But MoOm! She called me a dirty dishrag!" He returned in a rather petulant baby voice. 

And a jolly time was had by all. At least those who chose to stay and chat. A few disapproving souls would peek in at times, with the occasional ostentatious 'harrumphs' of displeasure. Julius was not surprised with some of the oldsters, but was a little disappointed that some of his siblings and even a few youngsters were in that group. 

Later that night, it was just Stu and Bonny with the pair, largely talked out, reduced to little bit of idle talk, mostly silly bits, as everyone was getting just a bit drowsy from the long day. Then they were interrupted by one of Julius' younger sisters. 

"Hah!" Juniper triumphantly announced. "I knew there was something about you!" And she held out her laptop display to show her parents what kind of degenerate this intruding bitch of a vixen Nichole was. It was one of her nude art poses.

"Oh my!" Bonny studied the image then looked over to Nichole. "That can't have been taken all that long ago? You look absolutely stunning." 

"You're being too kind." Nichole beamed. "No. That was taken more than a dozen years ago." Then turning to Juniper, "Did you find the rest of the series?" 

The young bunny stomped in frustration and turned to her Father, who had caught a peek of the image and was blushing dramatically. Instead of responding to his silly daughter, he turned to Julius. "My goodness, Boy! Way to go!" Then regarded Nichole with a more studied look. "A dedicated partner, a good friend, and all that." Pointing at the image. He then turned to Nichole, "You said there are more?" With a joking leer. 

"Mr. Hopps!" Said in comical shock, then Nichole gestured to the Bunny Girl, "Let me find the rest." 

Juniper all but threw the laptop at Nichole and stormed off with a sob. 

Bonny explained. "She doesn't actually hate you or foxes or any of that, she's just so - I don't know - rule bound. That any of us are consorting with other species, in a more intimate social level, just isn't done." 

Stu made a particularly apologetic face. "I know I've said things about preds in general." And more meekly, "And foxes in particular." And everyone shared a bit of an eye roll at that. "But I don't know where she got that kind of anti-specie-ism." 

"No. I know how it can be." Nichole made a sad little face. "Social conformity is a big thing in - I'd guess, the first year of high school?" 

"Oh gosh yes. I kind of dodged it, too focused on my own thing to get too much into the social thing back when I was in school." Julius recalled another bit, "We've had a few cases, teens in trouble, petty crimes, runaways, a few worse things. And they often comes out of social pressure in school."

Nichole looked after where Juniper left with some small concern, "Should we do -?" 

Bonny sighed, "I'll let her settle down and talk to her a bit later. But you're right about her school situation. It's like a bad soap opera, with all kinds of silly drama every week." Then after a little consideration, "So, what about that photo?"

Nichole rolled her eyes. "Years ago I was talked into doing some art poses by a friend of mine. Great photographer but ended up not being a great friend. She posted them on line for whatever reason years ago. I thought they were basically buried and gone, there being so much new content churned out every day." Nichole poked around a bit on the laptop and found the rest of the images and gave a little appreciative eyebrow raise. "Wow, I'd forgotten..." 

"You are a true beauty in these." Bonny admired. "Regardless of specie, some mammals can evoke a transcendent grace. A couple of Judy's sisters decided to pose, a bit more 'girly' than these, but they looked more cuddly and - ." 

"Cute." Nichole suggested and gave Julius a snerky grin.

"Exactly." And Bonny laughed at what she suspected was an on-going bit between the pair. 

"Not that showing off parts is all that big a thing." Stu observed. And for most rabbits and many other mammals, they simply were not all that wired for visual pornography. "Nichole, I hope you didn't mind that little bit before. But your snaps are impressive." 

"Thanks." 

Later that night, the pair lay in bed, not yet cuddled, just relaxing after a busy day. Nichole saw Julius' blissed face. "Familiar sights and sounds, eh?"

"That and relaxed exhaustion." 

"For a change?"

"Oh glob yes." A hard day on the beat could leave them both emotionally as well as physically wrung out and even the best massage/groom only took the edge off enough to allow them to crash out. To be able to simply fade out was a rare comfort. 

"I am a little disappointed with some of the family still. That they might object is one thing, but to be so overt about it."

"Yeah. Poor Juniper. Not that her attempt backfired, but that she was so adamant about it." Nichole had an inkling of the kind of emotional maelstrom the girl might be going through. But there was nothing to be done for it at the moment. So on to a proper night's sleep with her snuggle.


	12. Chapter 12

Monday morning meant gearing up for show and tell and the pair of Zootopia's finest spent an extended effort to be spiffed up. Not that finding an excuse for a thorough groom/massage had anything to do with it. Then suit up, Nichole in her sleek tactical suit of course, and Julius in his simpler standard uniform. Fortunately, the weather was going to be coolish mild, so wearing his utility vest over it was not going to be a problem. The often-warmer climate in the city could make things 'challenging'. 

As they began to put together their equipment, Nichole noticed a missing item. 

"Julius, did you notice a locked soft case?" 

"Ah, no?" 

"I had it in an inner zipped pocket in my bag. Now it's gone." 

"I didn't get in you bag." Julius growled to himself. "The youngsters know better to get into others personal stuff. Mostly." In such an often-crowded communal setting, the need for privacy and personal space and possessions was important and respected. But he could imagine curiosity among the youngest getting the better of them. 

"So what was in it?" And he then noticed the look of real alarm in her. "Nichole?"

The Vixen rubbed at her face and neck, a miserable whine quietly leaking out her clenched muzzle. Finally. "It was my carry piece, a Cougar 28."

"Wha? You don't have a carry - ." The Rabbit's voice trailed off. 

Nichole's face scrunched in grief, "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. I've had a concealed carry since the first week."

"But why?" Julius gasped. An actual firearm was so antithetical to his training and personal convictions that the idea that one had been around him all that time bordered on horror. 

She looked away and whispered. "To protect you." 

Julius sat down, dumbstruck. All this time. All the action they'd seen. All the trust they'd shared. Then he thought about all the times she would chide him or otherwise react to some self-depreciating comments, especially about how he was out of his depth in the big city. 

"Nichole," He asked rather cautiously, "Do you think I can't hack it in the city?"

"When I first met you, yes." But he could tell she was loath to have admitted it. "But by the time I was through the academy, it was clear you were well on your way to being a seasoned city cop." She came over to him with a wane half smile, "But as a Bunny, I knew there were bad actors who'd have no qualms in killing you with hardly a thought or special effort. And I wasn't going to let that happen."

Julius took a moment to consider that, then came back to the more immediate issue. "My Glob! One of the kits might have it!" 

"But it's in its soft armor locked bag." She was worried about it being taken, but more in terms of her responsibility to its security.

"That doesn't mean a thing here. Those kits are way too cleaver, and there are all the tools in the world in the sheds. They could crack the Lemming Brothers' safe as fast as any pro given half a chance!"

"So, what are we going to do?" 

"First, tell the family that your bag is gone. Keep it simple for now. They'd freak out if they knew a handgun was anywhere near."

"I thought you country folk were all about firearms?" 

"Hardly. Dad has his antique shotgun for scaring off the occasional bird, but he keeps the firing pins and ammo separate from each other and the gun itself and half the rest of the 'burrow don't even have that."

Julius had another thought. "Is the weapon cleared? And what about the ammo?"

"Of course it's cleared, but the rounds are in the bag." Nichole wrung her paws. "I'm so sorry. I kept the bag with me, figured it be more secure here than left in the cruiser."

Julius nodded in agreement to that. "Okay. Let's get the word out among the parents on hand. I'd guess the odds are that the thief was one of the school-age kits, so we'll have to wait until then to shake it out."

Telling those around the farm to look out for Nichole's personal belongings bag wasn't all that much of a problem. There was some small chagrin in the thought that one of their offspring might have taken it, though at the same time, the consensus was that it was likely just a matter of curiosity rather than malice.

The first show and tell thing was at Buck Brook High and it was pretty much a basic chat-up of the law-enforcement process and bit of a civics lesson on diversity respect and the responsibilities of good citizenship. The pair as the shining example of interspecies co-operation as well as the hero-saviors of Zootopia had an all too well practiced boilerplate script, adjusted for local consumption, that went over well enough. At least the lack of yawns or fidgeting boredom suggested such. 

There was a Q and A after, mostly the typical things about cop action, especially the idea of such smallish mammals dealing with the potential range of very large suspects that would inhabit an urban setting. Doubly so as the largest students were only some modest size goats and deer. For that matter, even with modern media, the idea of a city with nearly every possible mammal in it was still something of an exotic novelty.

Predictably, a question rose about guns and Nichole and Julius exchanged a little twitch at that, but the Vixen was prepared to answer. 

"Guns, slug-throwing firearms, have been a staple of all your cops and robber dramas since day one. But in real life, with improved technologies, the various non-lethal methods can work just as well in subduing a suspect. And that is of critical importance, since we are talking about a 'suspect', someone who we don't necessarily know if they are actually a criminal perpetrator. 

We often come upon a situation where the 'obvious' actor might not be the bad guy. He or she could be a panicky bi-stander or even the victim, or even if it is the perp, is he really a 'bad guy', or someone gone loopy on drugs or having a mental or emotional crisis?" 

"A fire arm, even if intending to wound or disable, still inflicts a terrible and sometimes life threatening injury, so is only used as a very last resort, while the non-lethal options available means we can both act sooner to suppress a situation and do so with less risk to the target subject."

"There are a few officers who do carry fire arms, as a final last resort, but only after all else fails or when a truly unambiguously dangerous situation presents itself." While that satisfied the inquiring mind, Nichole was clearly spent and Julius used that to finish things for the day.

Once they got back to the cruiser, Nichole whooshed, "Argh! All I could think of was my gun loose and causing all manner of mayhem!" 

"I could tell. Let's just think happy thoughts about finding it before anything might happen." Julius was not concealing his own worries very well either.

Nichole bit a knuckle in frustration. "I may have cost me my job with this." She turned to Julius, "I'm so sorry. After everything, and now this..."

Julius 'phone bleated. "Julius here?" 

"Julius! It's your Mother. I just got a confession from Tabby, she took Nichole's thing. She's getting to be a bit of a problem. Always getting into everyone's stuff to take something and hide it. Ya know, like a game. Was cute to start with, but its getting out of paw. Anyway, she said Juniper took it from her and doesn't know what she did with it." 

Tabby was going on five, so likely didn't know what she'd found, but Juniper, that could be bad. 

"Thanks, Mom! I'll find her at school."

"Juniper? The drama victim?" Nichole looked in concern. 

"Yeah. And I don't want to even begin to think what she might do with a gun." Julius scowled.

Nichole recoiled in alarm. "What!?"

"Nothing like, you know..." There had never been a shooting at a school in Zootopia proper, but it had happened elsewhere and was one of the great dreads of all ZPD officers. "But something stupid, like showing it off."

Bunnyburrow had enough of a population to warrant it's own High School, and despite expectation, had a rather more mixed population of species. That was obvious as they pulled up to what appeared to be change of class.

Not knowing what class Juniper would be in, and to check in as visitors, the pair of ZPD officers went to the admin office to no small amount of attention from the students. As there were any number of Hopps in the mix, there were some waves of recognition, but the class bell precluded any socializing. 

Julius whispered, "I hope word doesn't get to her and she decides to bolt." 

"Do you think she might?" 

"Really don't know. Being away and half a generation removed in age, I don't have a clue what she might think." He said with some regret.

Nichole caught that. "You still miss your family..."

The Buck made a face, "Whether I want to or not." 

They got the assistant principle to actually go into the classroom and bring Juniper out, not wanting too much drama, uniformed officers and all, and she instantly cringed seeing them. But before she could say anything, Nichole spoke up. "Glad we found you! We were worried about tracking down that personal property." And she gave the young Doe a subtle conspiratorial twitch. "You know how the little kits get into things."

"So, you do still have it?" Julius asked, keeping up the 'no big thing' act. 

Juniper was very surprised, expecting to be arrested or something, but recognized they were trying to keep things on the down low. 'Uh, sure, yeah." She looked over at the AP who clearly thought this was some particularly petty detail, hardly worth her time. 

"Can we have her for the rest of the day? Just to make sure everything is okay?" Julius asked brightly. 

The AP rolled her eyes. "Sure. As long as she isn't in any real trouble."

The two uniformed officers theatrically recoiled as though the very though was beyond impossible. The AP left them and Juniper lead them to her locker. And in a tote bag, there was Nichole's soft lock, cut open, and the gun and ammo still inside.

"I'm so sorry," the Doe whimpered. "I used a cut off wheel..." 

"We'll talk about this elsewhere." Julius said lightly, though his expression was anything but. 

They went out the cruiser in silence, and once inside, Julius sighed. "I only have one question, what did you plan to do with it?" 

Juniper's reaction was a range of shock and dismay. "OHMYGLOB! I never! I wasn't! No! I just wanted to show it to my friends, ya know. Max drama thing. I wouldn't ever DO anything with it!" She wailed. 

Nichole and Julius exchanged looks while the poor girl bawled for a while. Then Julius had a thought. "Would you have tried to shoot it?"

Juniper hesitated, not sure how to answer that.

Julius prompted, "Ya know, off in the woods or something. Maybe your only chance to shoot a gun ever. Really show your friends."

"I- I guess, maybe." 

"Uh-huh." He then got out his 'phone. "Hello, Officer Hopps here, that you Sheriff? Do you have any snap caps for a 28 there? Or just some empty brass would do. You do? Good. We'll be right over."

He then turned back to his little sister. "I'm not going to belabor you with all the rants about all the evil badness of all this. But I do want you to know a couple of things. First, whether you know it or not, or really intended it, and I'd like to think you're not that - I don't know spiteful? Petty? But you've likely set back, if not ruined my partner's career with the ZPD."

"I know you think we shouldn't have a social life together, but this means our professional team, our partnership as officers, is likely blown. We've depended on each other for the safety of our lives, and those of innumerable citizens." He shared a pained look with Nichole. 

"I ought to be able to eventually work up a reliable partnership with another officer, eventually. But in the meantime, I'll be stuck with a stranger. And we'll start off not knowing all the quirks, all the details of each other that might mean the difference of life and death in some unforeseen circumstance." The looks of dismay on both females' faces was no fun. 

He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "The second thing will have to wait until we get to the Sheriff's Office."

Nichole was puzzled and Juniper was fearful but Julius was not going to explain and the rest of the drive was in painful silence. 

When they got there, Julius got the tote bag with the smaller bag and gun still in it out. He first made sure the gun was cleared, then removed the ammunition in the bag and put the gun back in. "Okay. We're here to have a little gun safety demonstration, nothing more." 

Julius had known Sheriff Clark starting from his earlier days itching to become a big city cop and interminably bugging the local law enforcement for any wisdom they could impart to him. For his part, the Black Bear Sheriff was delighted to see the local boy who made good again and finally meet his much-heralded partner. 

Then there was Juniper. 

"My little sister was wondering about guns, and I wanted to show her that they were nothing to play with. With all the popular media silliness about gun handling, I thought a little taste of the real thing was in order."

He held out the tote bag. "I've got my partner's carry piece, a Cougar 28 in here. It's cleared. And if I can use some of those snap caps, I'd like her to see what it's like to load and handle it."

The Old Bear gave Julius a look, but shrugged and handed him a pawfull of inert plastic cartridges. Julius put them in the bag and handed it to the young Doe. "Okay Juniper. You found this gun and now you want to show it off to your friends, maybe even try shooting it." 

Juniper gulped in fear and looked to each of the adults in turn. Julius was nodding encouragement; Nichole, a look of unexpected sympathy, and the Sheriff had a look of growing realization that there might be something more in this.

She pulled out the gun; it was a compact five-shot revolver, made for a somewhat larger creature than a young bunny, so she had a bit of trouble with its bulk and weight. It took her a moment to figure out how to swing open the cylinder to load the cartridges and she fumbled with the unfamiliar mechanism. Finally, she did get it loaded and barely had she closed the cylinder, there was the click-Snap! of the double action trigger. 

"Juniper, look at where I'm standing and where the gun is pointing." He had been directly in from of her, deliberately, and the gun barrel was level with his belly. So intent in the struggle of handling the piece, she had not paid any attention to where anyone was in relationship to the weapon. He did not have to tell her what would have happened if the ammunition was real. 

The drive back home was particularly quiet. Aside from an occasional sniffle from Juniper, who was only slowly recovering from her anguished crying spell after 'killing' her Brother. He was taking the long way 'round, to give her some time. And to give Nichole and him a little time too. It had been quite a day. 

After a while, he asked, "Anyone want a freezypop?" And he pointed to the drive-through that was coming up. 

"How can you think of something like that now?" Nichole chided. 

"It's been a very busy day and I'm parched." He glanced back to see how his Sister was doing. "Besides, if we get anything, we'll have to drive until we finish every bit, least Mother give us grief for spoiling our appetite for dinner."

He was cheered to see a bit of a smile in the Doe. 

After a while with the reduction of their treats, "Will this really wreak your partnership? I mean, does anyone have to know?" 

"We've got a relationship with our boss, and there is a trust there that we're not going to abuse. Even if it costs us this." Nichole looked to Juniper. With a bit of reflection, she hoped it might not be too bad. But better to not try to mitigate it for the youngster. 

"And what will that do to you two, I mean - ?"

"And why would that matter to you?" Nichole said in a carefully neutral tone but the Bunny cringed at the point of it. 

It was again very quiet in the cruiser until the Hopps compound came into view. 

"I'm sorry." Juniper had pretty much recovered, but new tears flowed. "I'm sorry for everything, the other night, the whole thing with the gun. All of it." 

Julius pulled the Cruiser over and stopped just short of the Hopps driveway and turned to his Sister. "Don't be sorry. Be smarter next time." Glancing back towards the house, "We tracked down a lock bag with personal stuff you never saw in it. A little prank." Said with a bit of emphasis, "Then had a little drive to talk a few things out, right?" 

So that was going to be the official story, and the girl gulped and nodded at all that was implied in that. 

The Hopps family could be as curious and gossipy as any fluffle of bunnies, but at the same time, when 'nothing happened', then nothing happened and that was the end of that. 

The rest of the week went well enough. A few more school show and tells, a couple of coordination briefings with the Sheriff and Deputies, as well as the various emergency services types, and some welcome down time lounging around with family. 

Before they left, Bonny found Nichole alone one last time. 

"Thanks for all you did for Juniper these last few." 

"Just got my bag back was all."

"Uh huh." And the old Doe made a little gunpoint with her paw.

Nichole shook her head. "Never under-estimate secret mom powers."

"You'll get there one of these days." Bonny patted the Vixen's arm.

Nichole made a little sad face. "I dunno. Boxes or Funnies are a cute joke, but aren't happening." 

"More than one way to make a Father out of your silly Buck." Bonny said with a knowing wink. 

Then back to the big city.

And 'fun' with the Chief.

"You could have just lied and said you felt you didn't need your carry piece anymore." Bogo grumbled as he reviewed Nichole's report on the loose gun business. She'd left it with the Sheriff's Office, as she didn't have a secure storage for it, and there would be additional paperwork for it's transport back to the ZPD.

"And jeopardize our special relationship." Said with just a hint of sultry implication. Nichole could be such a tease, especially knowing how thoroughly the Buffalo secretly enjoyed the jest. "And in reflection, I have to say that I really do feel better about how our favorite Bunny is doing on the mean streets."

"I'm glad to hear that, at least." Bogo adjusted his reading glasses, more for effect than need. "To simplify things at their end, I'd just let Sheriff Clark keep the piece. But -." He gave Nichole a wicked little grin, "You'll have to cover the replacement cost. It is the least, and I mean very least I can do to - oh, did I say that?" In mock chagrin. "I mean for you in this circumstance." 

Nichole gave him a suspicious look. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're getting soft." 

"Or thirty days unpaid suspension pending a formal hearing with the expectation of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all accrued credits and maybe a bit of jail time for reckless endangerment?" Bogo shrugged. "Either way, I don't care." 

"Now that's the Bogo I know and love." Said with rather careful deference. Then, with far more sincere tenderness, "Thanks, again, Sir." 

And was that just the tiniest hint of a smile?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild and crazy collaboration between myself and the very talented eng050599 for this one. His version of Nick and Judy and their martial arts training in his story made me want to do a Nichole and Julius version, to which he was delighted to play with. The bulk of the world count is his, but it was a very close coordination between us for all of it.

"Oh My! Don’t you look lovely!" Celeste surveyed the damage her roommate presented, as the vixen dragged herself into their apartment. Nichole was just back from an advanced paw-to-paw combat session and looked like she'd gotten the rather worst of it.

"And I can't even say 'you should have seen the other guy'." Nichole tried to stretch and grimaced in the attempt. "I'm not sure I even laid a paw on her." She then tested her jaw, not sure if talking was a very good idea. Celeste could see swelling on her muzzle and various points on her face. "But there are some gaps in my memory, so who knows?"

"What?! Are you sure?" Celeste reacted in alarm. "You know that any unconsciousness could mean real injury."

"Just joking. I recall all too well the thoroughness of my beating and how ineffectual my defense was."

"I thought you were pretty good. For an old - ah - vixen of a fox."

Nichole gave the obstreperous coyote pup a rather withering glance. "It wasn't until I was done eating floor mats that someone happened to mention that she’s also an instructor FOR the trainers of the ZAF Special Forces."

She actually knew that and more. The sessions were part of a program to develop improved martial arts techniques for the widest range of species, and in the case of the ZPD, adapt military moves to less lethal civilian versions. Nichole and Julius were as much test subjects as students, as only more robust predators were in the system so far.

"Oh?" Then Celeste cocked her head. "Why the overkill? I mean it isn't like we're going to need super spy combat moves, are we?" The last said with a bit more apprehension than she might have intended.

"Well, who knows? And the ZPD basic paw-to-paw is...wella bit 'basic'. You know how good Bunny Boy is with his super bounce. Well, he got pretty much the same treatment as I did." Nichole rubbed various sore spots as she considered. "And even that wasn't until she showed us how limited even his best moves were,” she shook her head dejectedly at the memory. “We didn't have a clue."

"So? You going to train up?"

"Oh Glob, yes! True, nearly ninety-nine times out of a hundred our perps are just dumb thugs with some muscle and maybe some dumb TV 'kung-fu' moves or a little bare knuckle brawling behind them. But if we faced a really well trained martial arts type..." Nichole had heretofore felt a little cocky in her fighting prowess. Not like she was any kind of powerhouse or anything like that, but between the formal ZPD training, and her dirty street fighting experience, she thought she could handle most anything that came her way. True, a lot of it came down to dodge and scramble and sneaky shots, but winning wasn't measured in style points.

"For that matter, it wouldn't hurt you to get a bit of extra training in too."

At that Celeste cringed just a bit. She had her own bit of fighting wherewithal, but she was always a bit reticent to exercise it. Nichole saw that and sympathized. She wasn't keen on getting physical herself; talking a situation down was very much more her style and after a couple of decades of the street she was pretty good at it. But the big difference between them was that Nichole had been in real fights, some for her life by the time she was Celeste's age.

The young Coyote had never had anything more than a childhood shoving match before coming into the ZPD and so far had not had any major confrontations. And on one paw, many of the ZPD officers had gone their whole careers with little more than the occasional drunk and disorderly wrestling match for going paws-on with trouble. But others had needed those skills in what could have been life or death situations.

There were very few guns, actual firearms, out in the public, and so death or injury due to such weapons in the line of duty was exceedingly rare, even in such a vast population such as Zootopia's. But the memorial wall in each precinct was a terrible testament to the dangers of close contact, even knives were uncommon, but tooth, claw, or horn... That fact played on Nichole's concern for her young roomie.

* * *

The matter remained open for a little while. Nichole had another session. Less battered and more enthusiastic in her prospects for being something other than a punching bag.

"So, learning to fight back?" Celeste observed Nichole's relative lack of damage.

"More a matter of training drills rather than all that sparring. There's some other ZPD troops that have been in the program for a while who can play instructor for us greenhorns." Nichole still fretted a bit over the Coyote. "Ya know, there is an advanced training program starting in the ZPD. A couple of the more experienced officers come back and pass on what they've learned to those who want it." At least those aspects cleared for wider use. Though not exactly a secret weapon, it wouldn't do to tip one's hand to the full range of tricks.

Celeste cocked her head at that. "Yeah. Allen has been talking about doing that. The Fourth doesn't have anyone qualified yet, but you're going to the source to max out." Allen being her boyfriend Wolf and officer in the First.

"Only the best for the best." But her jest faltered. "Julius and I are, as you know, trouble magnets, so we really need all the advanced training we can get."

Along with being smaller than average cops, which meant that unruly types might take a chance and get physical, there was still the lingering poisonous fall-out of the predator/prey thing. Julius was still for too many the source and embodiment of anti-pred sentiment, and Nichole his order traitor accomplice.

Celeste could never help but smile whenever Nichole mentioned her 'Bunny Boy', but also knew how defensive she could get. "Uhm, I know you said you're feeling more confident for Julius' safety 'on the mean streets' and all that. But I take it, post 'that thing'..."

"Yeah, that too." Early on, Nichole had a concealed carry handgun, determined that the city would not take her Bunny Boy too easily. After the lost gun scare while visiting Bunnyburrow, she gave it up as being too risky for those around her.

"But being better able to deal with close in attack in general is a big part of it too. Being too close and too quick to get at a weapon. And he needs a better edge in special circumstances. I still can't figure how a burrower doesn't have better low light vision."

Celeste refrained from providing a needlessly pedantic explanation for that, though they exchanged a knowing look back and forth.

"So, when are you going to give it a go?"

Celeste growled, but then shrugged. "I'll try it, but I don't think I'll like it."

* * *

The logistics of a rendezvous meant it was more practical for the two to meet at the training site. It was in an otherwise nondescript office building, with only the cryptic letters 'AMCQC' to announce it. Celeste got there first and was waiting outside for Nichole to show up. She was in her simple civvies, baggy jeans and slightly over-size t-shirt. A big cat in sweats noticed her as he headed in. "Waiting for your folks, kit?"

Celeste suppressed a growl of annoyance, but reflexively flipped out her badge. "Whitefoot, ZPD patrolmammal." she glumly announced, not bothering to pay him any further mind. Being mistaken for a half-grown cub had gone beyond annoying to simply an unhappy routine. She didn't even bother to flash her credentials most of the time, but as he was likely another ZPD officer, it couldn't hurt to introduce herself.

"Oh Cheese! Sorry 'bout that." The Leopard apologized and collected himself. "You must be Wilde's roomie. She said you were coming tonight."

He rubbed the back of his head in lingering consternation, "She said you were a 'yote, but from her description, I was expecting someone more like Carol."

"Carol?"

"Yeah, our instructor." He glanced around for any sign of Nichole. "If you want, you can come inside and get a jump on meeting everyone." 

Considering it'd be some time before Nichole showed, Celeste was persistently early for everything while the Fox was pretty much the opposite, "Sure. I'm Celeste, out of the Fourth."

"Bobby. Bobby Johnson, from the First, but third shift."

That would explain not having heard of him, as both Nichole and her Yummy Puppy were constantly going on about their shift mates.

They went inside, Bobby using a RF pass card to the little anteroom, pass card again, then down a hall pointed out to the changing rooms and all that, then one more secure door to the main space. Big and bright and not crowded, maybe a dozen beasts, though all pretty big species. As Nichole and Julius seemed to be holding their own here, Celeste was impressed.

But the one thing that immediately caught her eye was the other Coyote.

Celeste had grown up in various communities in which coyotes were all but unknown, and even in Zootopia they were rather uncommon, and were often considered aloof loaners. As such, she had the habit of trying to make some kind of social contact with any she met. Unfortunately, early on, with her weak social skills, it often ended up in an awkward sense of desperation, as though the other was a long lost relative and she was all but pleading for recognition. Or at least that's how she felt more often as not in retrospect.

But today, she was going to be cool. She was Officer Whitefoot, pride of the ZPD, and was going to just go up and introduce herself. And not fawn and beg like a supplicating pup, no desperate tail wiggle, none of that!

But not quite yet. She was busy giving instruction to a pair of sparring beasts. Then some words of encouragement to some others doing drills. Yeap, Celeste could wait a few more minutes, and, oh shit. She had been spotted. The handsome she-coyote gave a little smile and sauntered over. Average height for a coyote, or head and shoulders taller than her, well groomed and a perfect balance of fit and feminine. Everything she wasn't.

"You must be Officer Whitefoot?" As she gave Celeste a quick once over look. "Carol Latrans, mistress of torture here," she said in a jovial tone, waving at all the exertion in the background. “Wilde warned me you'd be by to give us a try."

"Uhm, er, yeah. Celeste. Uhm, Wilde said she'd meet me here. Yeah." So much for keeping her poise. And she nervously glanced around. Where was that damn fox?

Carol regarded the slight coyote before her. Yes, she was as small as Nichole and Julius had mentioned, but there was something about her, an unusual uncertainty that seemed at odds for an officer, or an adult coyote for that matter.

"Before we begin, can you tell me something about yourself?" She beckoned the girl back towards the changing rooms. Maybe that would explain some things. And make for an informal background check. The brass were beginning to mutter about formal security clearances as the program was approaching secret weapon levels of advanced skills. The ZPD side wasn't yet seeing the full extent, but Carol was loath to give any of her students anything but the full repertoire of tools for their jobs. Once they came under her tutelage, in her mind, she was responsible for their safety, both in the salle, and out on the streets.

The younger Coyote seemed to relax with a subject to focus on. "Well, I was raised by my Uncle, who came out of the Territories. Don't know anything about my parents, other than they died very early on, I guess. He's a gypsy mechanic, so we never stayed anywhere for very long. More or less home-schooled me. Taught me to be a pretty good mechanic in my own right. And some basic self-defense takedowns,” she paused, and gave an uncertain glance towards the other coyote. “Mostly stuff that wouldn’t be considered ‘fighting fair’, and he placed a lot of emphasis on making sure to break just enough bones that they weren’t getting up any time soon."

Carol smiled at the younger canines admission, and she nodded her head approvingly. “I think your uncle was my kind of mammal. If it works, it’s not cheating in a real fight,” she waved a paw dismissively towards the exit of the building. “Leave that kind of stuff for the sport martial arts, and Hollywood in general.”

She paused, and looked back at Celeste. The more personal aspects of her upbringing were several levels of interesting. As an Army brat herself, Carol could sympathize with the rootlessness. But no other kin? Even among the more insular coyotes, there was always a family around. Not as large an extended family as wolf packs tended to be, but still, "So, what got you into law enforcement?", she asked, trying to gently glean any details about her new student. 

Celeste smiled warmly with that. "I was working in Bunnyburrow back when Julius...I mean Officer Hopps became the hero savior of Zootopia. Actually knew his family. Being a mechanic is all well and good, but his 'make the world a better place' really struck me." She then looked around at the sparring students. "I thought more about the helping folks part..." She sighed, then continued. "Then, amazingly, I got Nichole as my roommate at the academy."

"I'm stationed over at Precinct Four, partnered with a Puma, Jefferson. He's an old pro, knows the city inside and out, but he came out of the Territories too, originally, so we can use the Old Tongue between us."

The older coyote had a small chuckle at that comment. “Yá'át'ééh ałní'íní,” she said after a moment. “Nizhónígo ałhééhosiilzįįd...and that about exhausts my memory of the Old Tongue.”

Celeste laughed at the admission, and refrained from any critique on Carol’s accuracy...being somewhat unsure of the authenticity of her own use of the archaic language. Pausing momentarily to consider the shared cultural touchstone, she found herself curious as to the background of the instructor. That she was former military was unquestioned, but what that implied for family and friends, Celeste had no clue.

Carol had watched Celeste change out of her street clothes and noted the almost pre-pubescent build, just a straight stick of a girl, and skinny, but there was a wiry cord of muscle under her pelt. She made a mental note to ask about any history of malnutrition or hormone imbalances...dating a doctor had rubbed off on her in more ways than one. Poor girl, her summer coat was of the sadly stereotypical scruffy sort. Celeste noticed her appraising look, and shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah, I look awfully scruff now, but I really fluff out in winter. My Uncle looks almost like he has mange in summer but fills out even more."

The older coyote chuckled at the admission, “I have two words for you, Whitefoot: Spa Day...and don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” she said while shaking her head at Celeste’s expression. “Five years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me somewhere like that, but I got dragged out to one by some friends, and I learned a valuable lesson that day. Sometimes being pampered is just fine.”

It was then that Carol noticed something else. "Can I see your paws?"

"Oh? Sure." And held out her paws. "I've done a lot of machine shop work too, with the scars to prove it." And there were any number of scars and burn marks; one scar suggested a digit nearly split down the middle. She had only seven claws.

Flexing her own paws for example, Carol asked, "Do you have full mobility?"

"Oh, sure." And she playfully wiggled her paws at the elder Coyote.

"Okay." Carol caught one paw and did a little push and pull and Celeste was able to credibly resist. She then squeezed, just a bit. Celeste gave her a wary look but answered with a bit more pressure. And Carol bore down a bit more, and got similar in return. 

"Uhm, I've got machinist's fingers, if you want to go there." Celeste warned. To which Carol surrendered. She'd discovered that there were professions that made for deceptively crazy-strong paws. The worst was an art student who had been stretching his own silk screens for a couple years.

"Okay, let’s go out and meet everyone. Then the fun begins,” Carol said as she escorted her newest student back into the training salle, holding the door open for the smaller coyote. “Wilde and Hopps will be joining us in a bit, but for now, you’re all mine.”

Celeste, stopped momentarily when she walked through the door, and looked on apprehensively as she noticed that the other ZPD students had all ceased their own training, and were instead lining the walls of the training room; their gazes fixed on the two coyotes.

The quiet sound of laughter from behind her caused her to turn around and face Carol as the trainer closed the door behind her.

“Don’t mind them, Whitefoot,” she said with an impish grin on her muzzle. “Today, you’re going to be the focus of everyone’s attention. If all goes well,” she motioned towards the impromptu audience, “they’ll be your future training partners, and learning your style is as much a part of their training as the actual sparring.”

Looking to her students, Carol motioned towards the younger coyote, “Everyone this is Patrolmammal Celeste Whitefoot out of Precinct Four.” Looking back at her newest student, a smile spread across the instructor’s muzzle as she motioned for her student to head into the middle of the salle. “Most of the ZPD here are from Precinct One, but we do get the occasional mammal who’s recommended for training. Wilde spoke highly of you, so welcome aboard...provided that you can convince me that you deserve it, of course.”

The older coyote cracked her knuckles theatrically, and moved to the center of the room, “Now onto the first tradition of AMCQC. This is where I get to see just what you can do, officer. The rules are simple. Give it your all, anything goes, and we don’t stop until I say so. Understand?”

Celeste nodded apprehensively, and took up a loose stance opposite the trainer. Even though she had been trained in paw to paw combat, both informally from her uncle, and formally at the academy, it wasn’t something that she particularly looked forward to. The rational part of her mind knew that this was part and parcel of being a ZPD officer, but given the choice, she would always prefer to get out of a situation without resorting to violence.“That’s not going to be an option today,” she thought to herself as she settled into place just outside of where she judged the older coyotes range would be....she was wrong.

Carol’s expression never changed, but between one moment and the next, she suddenly exploded into motion, her speed taking the younger coyote by surprise. She slid along the floor on her left hind paw, the right lashing out in a side kick aimed squarely at Celeste’s abdomen. Celeste barely managed to cross her arms in front of her to take the blow on braced forearms, but the strength of the kick sent her skidding backwards, and she was forced to scramble to maintain her balance until her claws found purchase.

Knowing instinctively that her opponent would try to press her advantage, Celeste lashed out with a quick left jab before she had managed to fully regain her footing, trying to catch the trainer before she could close the distance. Carol slapped the blow aside and followed up with a quick jab cross combination that the other coyote just barely managed to deflect.

The fight’s momentum was completely under control of the more experienced fighter, and Celeste backpedaled, trying to create space. She attempted to strike the other coyote’s leading leg with a quick roundhouse kick, only for Carol to once again close the distance, jamming Celeste’s leg, and robbing the kick of any power.

Before Celeste could lower her leg, the other coyote wrapped her own left leg around Celeste’s, leveraging the joint with her knee and forcing the younger coyote down almost to the floor. The maneuver threw Celeste off balance, and while her arms instinctive spread out to try and steady herself, the instructor struck out with an open palmed uppercut to her jaw.The blow caused Celeste to fall backwards, and the older coyote took the opportunity to release Celeste’s leg and spring backwards where she simply stood and waited for the officer to recover.

Celeste shook her head to try and clear some of the stars that were dancing in her vision. The uppercut hadn’t been all that powerful, but it was enough so that her balance was somewhat unsteady as she hauled herself to her feet. Taking up a fighting stance once again.

Carol nodded approvingly at Celeste’s tenacity. “Good,” she said with a smile on her muzzle, “you’re not giving up. Right now, you’re not acting, you’re reacting. Take the initiative, Whitefoot. Don’t let your opponent control the fight.”Celeste gave her head a final shake, but the action was just a ruse, as she sprang forward, trying to use the older coyote’s own tactics against her. Her maneuvers were hesitant though, as she drew upon her academy training, and what little street fighting her uncle had imparted, but she wanted to impress the older coyote, and if that required being a little aggressive, so be it.

Carol’s expression never changed, as Celeste bore down on her, her paws lashing out in a rapid series of strikes. She alternated he blows high and low, trying to never come in from the same angle twice. At the academy, so much time was spent learning how to subdue a wide range of mammals, but very little of it was actual sparring with a trained opponent. Celeste was quickly learning what a difference that made.

Carol effortlessly weaved and dodged, only striking out on occasion to deflect a blow that she was unable to simply avoid. Celeste’s frustration began to build, and she redoubled her efforts. She closed the distance even further, transitioning into a series of elbow strikes, knees and kicks to her opponent’s legs. From her limited experience dealing with larger mammals, this was her best chance to jam up her larger opponents attacks, and as before, her hesitancy robbed her attacks of some of their speed.

The trainer’s paws lashed out, deflecting most of the attack, Celeste only managing to land a glancing blow to the trainer’s head for her efforts.

The effect on Carol was pronounced however, and she frowned before hopping backwards, creating some distance between the two. Celeste immediately pressed forward, as her paws once again struck out at her opponent.

This time however, Carol didn’t simply block the blow; her right paw snaked out so quickly that Celeste had barely registered the movement before she was being pulled off balance as the trainer caught her arm just behind the wrist. As soon as the younger coyote was thrown off balance, Carol reversed the direction of her pull, wrenching the arm backwards, the change in momentum caused the coyote to flip head over heels, and the air left her lungs in a rush as she crashed into the mats.

Before Celeste could recover, Carol quickly twisted and hyperextended the limb, painfully locking it into place in a textbook joint lock.

The older coyote leaned down and whispered into Celeste’s ears, “You’re faster than this. You’re stronger than this. You don’t hold back against me, and you don’t hold back out in the streets. Now. Show. Me. What. You’ve. Got!”

With that she released the limb, hopped backwards lightly on her paws.

Celeste gave her head a shake, as she fought to get her breathing under control as she rose to her feet, slightly unsteady on her paws. “Okay, let’s try that again,” she mumbled to herself before launching forward, again trying to jam up the larger coyote’s strikes. She struck out as quickly as she could, sacrificing technique for for speed, as she rained open pawed strikes to the instructor’s head and chest. The few times she had been in a scuffle in her life, speed was her only true friend, and although she had only managed about a 50/50 split, sometimes just being fast was enough to break through a mammal’s defense.

Carol smoothly transitioned into a more closed stance, taking the hits on braced forearms and striking out with lightning quick elbows and knees whenever Celeste offered her an opening. The younger coyote did what she could to block or deflect these, but whenever she lessened her attack, the instructor was quick to pounce on the opening, and unlike Celeste, Carol’s technique did not need to be sacrificed in the name of speed.

The older coyote pushed the young officer hard, battering away at her defenses, while easily dodging or deflecting her attacks. Celeste did manage to land a few good hits of her own, but she was only giving one for every ten that Carol managed. It felt like an eternity as they traded blows, and Celeste was panting heavily as the minutes dragged on. Her frustration was building, as it was increasingly obvious that the Carol was doing little more than playing with her. Her mind struggled to remember her training, as her instinct to fall back on the rote combinations which made up much of her training at the academy was repeatedly punished by the trainer, who was intimately familiar with the kind of training that ZPD officers went through. The constant testing, prodding, and punishing her when her defenses weren’t up to snuff caused the first inklings on anger to cloud here thoughts.

The trickle of adrenaline that had been singing in her blood from the start of the match became a deluge, and her instincts warred with each other. The desire to break contact and escape was certainly there, but there was still a part of her that wanted to impress the older coyote.

 _“So fight it is!”_ a small voice cried out from the recesses of her mind, as she pushed forward once again.

Her stance took on a more aggressive tone, and she pushed herself to penetrate the trainer’s defenses using force of will if not technique. In the back of her mind, she registered the other coyote’s earlier words, and strove to take the initiative in the fight. Her paws struck out a staccato rhythm as she lashed out with a series of open palm, and knife-paw strikes, all the while, she tried to trip Carol’s legs up with fast front kicks to the shin and knees. She was pushing the boundaries of her limited training, but the loss of control could end up in her favor, as it added unpredictability to her actions...at least, she hoped it did.

Carol’s expression never changed, and her own paws and legs moved in clipped, precise blocks and counters. Any attack that she wasn’t able to simply dodge, was rebuffed, and Celeste took a strong hook to her ribs when she missed a block. Part of her knew that Carol was pulling her blows, but each one that landed felt like she was hit by a battering ram. It wasn’t just that the older coyote was strong for her size, so was she after all, but Carol also knew where to hit to inflict the maximum amount of pain...and from the bruises that she could already feel forming under her fur, she was very good at it.

Seeing an opening, a quick knee took the instructor in the abdomen, but Carol rolled with the blow, and the more experienced fighter just accepted the it with a quick exhalation of breath to help tighten the abdominal muscles. In return, she hammered her own elbow onto Celeste’s thigh before she could lower the limb. The blow caused the officer’s leg to go numb from the knee down, and the smaller coyote stumbled when the limb refused to accept any weight on it.

The trainer was not idle during this bout of weakness, and stepped in, Carol’s left leg hooking around her remaining good leg, while her paws took hold of Celeste’s training shirt, and effortlessly threw the coyote in a textbook hip throw. She didn’t release her student, however and rode down with her until they were both on the mats, Carol astride Celeste’s back.

Celeste had no time to react before she felt Carol’s legs wrap around her midsection, while the trainers left forearm tried to snake around her throat. Although still dazed from the impact of the throw, Celeste still had the good sense to snap a paw up to grasp onto the trainer’s wrist before she would secure the choke hold.

Celeste tried to arch her back and drive her head into her opponent’s muzzle, but the size difference between the two of them just resulted in her striking Carol’s upper chest. This had been the hardest part of the academy training for her, as he small stature meant that grappling was a contest she was almost sure to lose. It didn’t look like Carol was going to let her off easy though, so Celeste tried to use what little experience she had to shake off the trainer. When she hunched forward again, she made to roll onto her side, or even better, reposition things so that Carol was the one on the bottom, but the older coyote only allowed her to roll the pair of them onto her side before she braced her body to prevent any further movement.

Carol was not idle during this time, and when she halted the rolling motion, she struck out with her free elbow, driving it into Celeste’s midsection. Once again, the air rushed out of the younger mammals lungs, and Celeste lost her grip on Carol’s arm, which locked into position around the smaller canines throat like a vice.

Celeste couldn’t breath, and her paws scrambled and clawed at the trainer’s arm, but the limb was like iron. She began thrashing around, trying to create an opening where she could wiggle free and create some space, and her heart began pounding in her chest as panic began to set in. Her claws raked through Carol’s fur, but couldn’t find purchase on the wiry corded muscles concealed under the thick coat.

“Use the pressure points!” A familiar voice cut through her panic, as Celeste recognized Nicole’s tone.

Her vision was starting to dim, but she managed to process the information, and rather than a panicked scrabbling, she tried to dig her claws into where she dimly remembered the control points present on the forearm and wrist. In her panicked scrabblings she desperately tried to find those pressure points that were gradually fading away, along with her overall consciousness. Just as she could feel herself slipping away, there was a yelp of pain from behind her, and the pressure released from her throat. She took a gasping breath, but was unable to do much else.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to. Carol fully released her student, and moved her into a recovery position. Gone was the almost growling threats from earlier, and instead the trainer’s words were almost gentle.

“That’s it, Whitefoot,” She said as she checked over Celeste’s vitals. She was fairly certain that her student hadn’t quite lost consciousness, but she had purposefully taken her past the point where she would normally release that hold. “Deep slow breaths.”

Celeste’s ears were pinned back as she fought, not only to breath, but to not growl at Carol. _“What the fuck was that?”_ She thought as her breaths became less labored.

There was a round of chuckles from around the salle, as her fellow officers recognized her expression...and her anger. Each of them had been through this trial by fire, but it did little to calm down the coyote’s anger. She rolled over and saw that Nicole and Julius had arrived at some point, and were looking over at the coyote with knowing glances, Nicole even going so far as to offer a surreptitious thumbs up and wink at her performance.

When her breathing began to slow, she looked back at Carol, and was surprised to see her smiling warmly, seemingly incongruous compared to her almost hungry expression when they were sparring. It was obvious that the instructor genuinely enjoyed the bout, as uneven as it had been. Carol, seeing that her charge was on the mend hopped back up onto her feet, and offered Celeste a helping paw up.

Somewhat confused, and still more than a little angry, she gingerly accepted the paw, her nose twitching as she detected the metallic scent of blood on the air.

When she looked at Carol’s left arm, she found the source of the smell. Blotches of red marred the older trainer’s forearm, and Celeste’s eyes widened when she saw the injury that her near panicked scratching had inflicted.

Carol cocked her head to the side, as she took in Celeste’s expression. She glanced down towards her own arm, and her eyebrows arched as she noticed the minor wounds. With a snort of amusement, Carol hauled the younger officer to her feet and nodded her head approvingly at her new student.

“Don’t sweat it, Whitefoot,” she said as she released Celeste’s paw while motioning towards the shallow scrapes dismissively. “This is exactly what I want to see from you.”Celeste breathed a small sigh of relief, while still mentally chastising herself for losing control. To her surprise, a very real smile formed on the older coyotes muzzle as she once again looked Celeste over from top to bottom. The adrenaline was starting to wane, and Celeste hoped that she was able to keep the inevitable shakes from being too obvious.

If Carol noticed her apprehension, she gave no outward sign, and merely started circling around the younger coyote before nodding her head approvingly. “You’ve got good instincts, and that’s something that is a straight up bitch to teach, so you’re already one up in my book.” she said, with no small bit of relief in her voice...something that genuinely surprised Celeste who had been mentally dreading how her performance would be judged. “When it came down to it, you didn’t give in, and that what I want to see from all of my students.” The trainer gave a small chuckle as she considered how to proceed. Once again motioning towards the wounds on her forearm, the grin never left her muzzle as she continued her observations, “You don’t enjoy this type of training, do you, Whitefoot?” she asked after a moment, and Celeste was taken aback by the question.“What do you mean?” Celeste asked as she tried to parse out Carol’s intentions.

The trainer shook her head and once again, an amused smile formed on her face. “The mammals that come to me generally fall into four groups,” she said as counting them off on her digits. “Those that enjoy the challenge,” she motioned towards where a pair of wolves were idly watching the pair. When they noticed that they were suddenly the focus of everyone’s attention, the two shrugged but gave no further reply.Looking back towards Celeste, Carol gave he a knowing wink, “That’s where I usually fit in by the way. Then there are those who want to see how they rank against their peers,” this time the trainer’s gaze fixated onto Julius, and once again a knowing smirk crossed her face, as the rabbit suddenly became very interested in the floor of the salle, much to the amusement of his comrades. Nicole took the opportunity to ruffle the fur on his head, and act that succeeded in both causing another round of laughter to be heard through the salle, and also causing the buck to seemingly shrink even further under the relentless gaze.

Carol shook her head at the display, but continued on, “Those that actually like hurting other mammals,” she paused there, and her expression became more serious. “You won’t find any of those here. They get shown the door very quickly.” The trainers expression darkened slightly as she obviously recalled such mammals from her own past. “In the ZAF, mammals like that have their place, but not in the ZPD. At least not as long as I’m in a position to stop it.”She gave herself a quick shake to drive those thoughts away, and another smile spread across her visage, “and then there are mammals like you. You want to help, and it’s my job to make sure that you’re prepared to do just that.”

With that Carol shrugged, and motioned towards Celeste, “So, how would you rank your performance today?”

Celeste was somewhat taken aback by the question, having expected the instructor to be the one to offer the critique of their match. “Uhhh, not very good?” she said, her tone making it seem like more of a question than a statement of fact.

Carol laughed and shook her head at the young officer. “I think you can do better than that, Whitefoot.”

“What more do you want?” Celeste asked after a moment. “I’m pretty sure that, if you had doused me with some water before we started, you literally could have mopped the floor with me.” she said, and was only half joking, as she ran through the match in her mind.

It hadn’t even been close, and she knew it. Even when she had tried to take the initiative, it was obvious that the more experienced trainer had been in control. She didn’t know what more to say, and so she just shrugged.

Carol’s amused expression didn’t fade, and she called out over her shoulder, “Wolford, how would you rate Patrollmammal Whitefoot’s performance?”

One of the two wolves Carol had mentioned earlier stepped forward slightly, and he rubbed his grey muzzle absently as he looked Celeste over from ear tips to toes. “She’s got speed, I’ll give her that,” he said after a moment. “Once you started really pushing her, she first fell back on the standard drills, but she was quick to adapt when you showed her how going for rote is a bad idea.”

There was another round of laughter from the assembled mammals, but Wolford maintained a contemplative look. “From what I saw, her main issue is just lack of experience.” The older wolf shrugged dismissively, “She was holding back right from the get go...and really that didn’t change until she started getting mad. Either way, her technique will get better over time, and she’s got a better foundation than a lot of mammals who make it through the academy.”

Carol nodded approvingly at her other students, and Celeste felt her face redden under her fur at being the focus of attention. Given her own thoughts regarding the bout, she had fully expected nothing more than condemnation and scorn. The thought of being the recipient of even marginal acceptance, let alone actual praise was a complete surprise.

Looking around the room, she noticed that the assembled mammals all wore similar expressions...well except for Nicole, who’s expression seemed to blur the lines between pride, and feigned disinterest. “The rest of them,” she thought to herself before the implications sank in. “they see one of them, not some lost cub.” Even Bobby, who not thirty minutes earlier has mistaken her for some scrawny adolescent waiting for her ride, was now appraising her seriously.

It wasn’t a conscious act on her part, but Celeste’s tail started wagging of its own volition. The movement was subdued, but Carol must have seen the change in her expression and body language, and the trainer shook her head with a snort of laughter. “Surprised?” she said after a moment. “This is just the beginning for you, Whitefoot, and unlike some other mammals who have graced these hallowed halls, overconfidence was not a personality trait you exhibit.”

That last comment was accompanied by a sidelong glance towards where Nicole and Julius were taking in the scene. Nicole made a show of examining her claws, and not responding Carol’s barb, but the amused expression on Julius’ muzzle made it plain that everyone knew that it was all just an act, and that the vixen remembered quite clearly the bruises that had been the result of her first training session.

Carol gestured with one paw towards Celeste, “Getting into a real fight isn’t something that any mammal should really want to do,” the trainer stopped for a moment, before raising a single digit to correct herself, “Ex’s; that’s the one exception. At times, under the right circumstances, then it’s okay to enjoy being in a fight.”

The older coyote began walking in a circle around Celeste, “So, all that leaves me with is the question of, do I admit you into the program?”

Although Carol’s voice was deadly serious, there was no mistaking the glimmer in her eyes. She only attempted to keep the charade going for a few moments before she nodded towards the younger coyote.“If you want in, you’re in.” Se said succinctly as she wandered over to the side of the training salle, and picked up a nondescript RFID card from atop a small pile of towels.

Turning back towards Celeste, Carol held up the card before offering it to the patrollmammal. “What’s it gonna be, Whitefoot?” she asked, and her gaze fixed on Celeste’s eyes and held them there. Even with millions of years of evolution, that simple act still triggered an innate response in many canine species.

Celeste met the instructors gaze with only a small bit of hesitation. _“She’s still testing me,”_ she thought to herself as she nodded and reached out to take the keycard. A broader smile spread across the trainer’s muzzle as she once again saw the glimmer of steel in the younger coyote.

Mentally, Carol was checking off an imaginary list consisting of the traits who would take well to her style of teaching.“She’s fast, she’s got some skill already, and she’s willing to learn,” she mused internally as handed over the card, while the smile on her muzzle spread just that little bit too broad to be entirely friendly.

“Now that we have that out of the way, I can actually start teaching you,” Carol said as she motioned for Celeste to join her at the front of the salle. Turning around, Carol motioned towards the still visible spots of blood on her forearm, “As can be seen here, here, and here, you were way off on where you should be striking.”Looking back towards the rest of her students, “Okay mammals let’s get to it! Active takedowns, pressure points and submission holds. Start with rear wrist locks, and transition into an arm bar. Work with your current partner, but we’ll be switching up throughout the rest of the session.”

Looking over to a large female tigress who was partnered up with Bobby, and then over to where Julius and Wilde were getting set up. Carol continued, “Fangmeyer, Hopps, you two are going to be busy ones this evening. Being the largest and smallest mammals currently here, I want to see everyone work with a range of partners, both on ofence and on defense. If I catch any of you not giving this your all, the next partner you’re getting paired up with is me!”With that final declaration, Carol stretched her neck in a circle as she gave her limbs a shake, before motioning for Celeste to attempt to take her down.

Even given the seriousness of the training, Celeste couldn’t help but smile as the other mammals around her began their own drills. For once, she wasn’t being given odd looks by strangers, didn’t feel like she was intruding on some private club. “It only a start,” she thought to herself, as she tried to work out the best way to get her opponent into the joint lock and then take her to the mats. “but sometimes that’s all that’s needed.”

That final thought flitted across her consciousness, before her focus narrowed down to encompass only the other coyote. Trying to take a page from the instructor’s manual, she didn’t give any outward sign of aggression. Between one heartbeat and the next, she simply moved.

* * *

 

Her choice of strategy was admirable, but enthusiasm does not tend to equal success outside of fiction. The rest of the session, hadn’t involved anything quite as bruising as, what Julius had dubbed ‘the initiation match’, but it had still been a learning experience.

What had really surprised her was just how important this kind of training could be. Having rotated through most of the other ZPD officers, she began to notice how, even techniques that were taught by rote at the academy had multiple variations depending on your opponent’s size and species.

When partnered up against Bobby or Nadine Fangmeyer, strikes from her small frame were utterly useless unless she managed to hit precisely where a nerve bundle was, or was able to manipulate a joint to the point where it was hyperextended, and all that extra muscle counted for nothing.

Conversely, those same mammals could ignore most of her attacks, and instead work to maneuver her into a position where their strength could end the fight instantly.

Even for Julius, there were countless tweaks that had been applied to his preferred style, mainly focusing on controlling distance and attacking to unbalance as opposed to damage.

“And Spirits, can that bunny move!” she thought to herself as the class was preparing to wrap up.Carol made a brief but piercing whistle, attracting the attention of every mammal in the room...painfully so in the case of Julius, who gave his head a resigned shake when the sound subsided.

“Nice work everyone,” she called out once everyone’s attention was on her. “In the next few sessions, I’ve been asked to focus on some advanced knife techniques and defenses. As some of you know, there have been reports of a new gang operating out of the nocturnal district who have a taste for butterfly knives.” The trainer shook her head with disdain at the notion. “That’s somewhat lucky for you, as most of the mammals that use them tend to place show before skill, but they are still a threat, and it’s my job to make sure that you’re equipped to handle the situation.”She clapped her paws together, and motioned towards the door to the changerooms. “Get showered up, and the usual ‘debriefing’,” she used the universal sign for quotation marks to emphasize the final word, “will be at Mac’s, and the first round’s on me.”

Those final words were met with a round of applause from the assembled mammals, who started funneling out of the Salle and making their way to the changerooms. Celeste held back so that Nicole and Julius could catch up. As Nicole approached, the vixen made a show of looking Celeste over from ear tips to tail, before theatrically rolling her eyes. “Well now, it looks like there’s a new teacher’s pet,” Nicole said in a playful tone. Looking over to Julius, while motioning towards the Coyote with her right paw, she shook her head in mock disbelief. “Able to walk out of here on her own two feet after her first lesson! The scandal of it all.”Julius playfully elbowed his partner in the side while shaking his head at the fox’s theatrics. “Maybe if you had spent more of your first lesson focusing on Carol and less on making random quips, Slick, you might have avoided a few of those bruises.”

Nicole gave a chuff of annoyance at the rabbit’s comment, but the smile that crept across her muzzle belied the actual emotions involved. Returning her attention to the young coyote, Nicole once again considered the mammal in front of her.“So, now that you’ve tried your paw at it, what do you think?” the vixen asked, her eyes slipping into their normal half-lidded gaze.

Celeste shrugged in reply, “Uhh, I kinda got my tail handed to me.” She thought back over the evening’s session, and if it wasn’t clear at the time, it certainly was in hindsight that the trainer had been completely in control for the entire evening. The young coyote shook her head as she glanced over to where Carol was just tidying up the salle and about to head out. “She’s definitely one of the more intense trainers I’ve met,” she paused momentarily and even had a slight chuckle at her own comment. “Then again, there’s only about 5 mammals on that list, so it’s not exactly a comprehensive directory.”

The three mammals made to leave the salle, as she reached for the door, Celeste felt the first twinge of pain from her abused body. The adrenaline that had been singing in her veins during the training was finally starting to taper off, and she could tell that tomorrow she’d be feeling a little worse for wear.

Julius, made a brief gesture towards the male change room and nodded his head towards Nicole and Celeste. “Meet you two out front in a few minutes.”

“Sounds good,” Nicole added but then paused as she saw some confusion in Celeste’s expression. “Something wrong, pup.” her friend asked when she noticed the coyote’s discomfort.

Celeste shrank back slightly, and rubbed her arms together, both to soothe the abused muscles, but also as a subconscious support.

“Not sure I’m feeling like a night out, that all,” she said succinctly, and Wilde rolled her eyes at the younger officer. “This isn’t a night out, Whitefoot.” Nicole said after giving her companion a rather scathing look. “Mac’s is Precinct One’s preferred cop shop. It’s actually pretty good for what it is, and it’s a place where any mammal who sports a uniform can relax and feel safe.”

The vixen had a small laugh as she considered her own history with the Pub. “It’s actually kind of funny,” she said as she opened the door to the female change room. “Just a couple of years ago, you wouldn’t have caught me within ten blocks of that place. As you’ll see, probably about fifty percent of the patrons are ZPD...and the rest are either ZFD, EMT, ZAF, or Zootopia University students who made a wrong turn.”

Celeste raised an eyebrow at this morsel of news. She was aware that Nicole had a...unique life prior to joining the ZPD, and what little she did know made the reasons for her hesitation easy to guess.

Nicole could see that her roommate's expression was still uncertain, and the vixen reached out to place a paw on the younger canine’s shoulder. “Look, send your puppy an invite. He’ll have only been off shift for a half hour or so by now,”

The vixen stopped in front of her locker, and began peeling off her training sweats, as she looked back a Celeste, the knowing and ever-present smirk firmly in place across her muzzle. “And if I were a betting mammal, I’d place my money on him just waiting for you to give him a call.”

Celeste felt the skin on her face redden under her fur in response to the playful taunt from her roommate, but she couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of seeing Allen sooner rather than later. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask”, she thought to herself, as she retrieved her phone and fired off a quick text to her wolf.

_‘Training went...okay, I guess. The class is going to Mac’s for a debriefing. Want to join me <3!”_

She barely had a chance to put her phone down when she heard the electronic chime sound off. Taking a wild guess as to who the sender was, she laughed when she was Allen’s reply.

_“Sounds good to me! I’ll be about 30min...got stuck with paperwork at the precinct.”_

“Looks like Nicole was right,” she thought to herself as she took the opportunity to peel off her own workout clothing. She couldn’t help but cringe as she disrobed, and her sensitive nose was presented with ample evidence of her exertions, along with no small number of minor aches foretelling of the bruises that would greet her tomorrow morning.“Whew!”, she said as she shook her head to try and banish the odor, “Definitely time for a shower,” she called out to Nicole who was already on her way to the shower stalls at the back of the changeroom.

There was a quiet chuckle from behind her, and Celeste look to see that Carol, as well as Fangmeyer, and a female cheetah, Sue Pawmeyer, whom she had been introduced to during the drill rotation, had arrived.

With the exception of herself, all the ZPD officers were from Precinct One, and as she looked around the room, she could already see the comeradery that existed between the assorted mammals.

“That is the reward for working hard, Whitefoot,” Carol added while stripping off her own clothing, and motioning towards the showers with a free paw. “I keep a pretty broad range of supplies here, so just grab whatever you need.”

“Thanks! I didn’t think to...bring any today.” Celeste’s voice trailed off when she saw Carol remove her shirt, and instantly recognized the telltale signs of scar tissue hiding under the trainer’s fur. There was only one sizable mark, appearing on the older coyote’s left shoulder, but it was in stark contrast to her earlier observations regarding her appearance.Carol noticed the change in tone, and looked back towards her new student. Her head cocked to the side momentarily as she considered what had caused Celeste to trail off. When she noticed where the young ZPD officer’s attention was focused, she shook her head and laughed out loud, drawing the momentary attention of the other mammals in the room.

The smile remained fixed on her muzzle and she motioned towards the largest scar, which Celeste could now see was present on both her front and back.

“Word of advice, Whitefoot; don’t get shot...it really sucks,” she said while continuing to remove her training gear. “I was a ZAF Ranger for a few years before I was recruited for the AMCQC development team. Most of my time in the Rangers was doing long range reconnaissance. Small preds are the preferred mammals for the job, but it’s not a walk in the park.”

Celeste’s ears pinned back slightly embarrassed to have been staring at the old wound.

Carol waved a paw dismissively towards the younger female. “Don’t worry about it, and if you stick around, you might even get to hear the story that goes along with this little mommento.”

Sue poked her head around a row of lockers after hearing the trainer’s comment. “How long is that?” she asked, the amusement heavy on her tongue. “Nadine and I have been training with you for almost a year, but we never got the story.”

Carol laughed as she closed her locker, and made her way to one of the available shower stalls.

“Neither of you ever showed an interest, Pawmeyer,” Carol replied without pause.

Celeste looked away from Carol, and gazed down at her own paws. The scars were all there, some hidden by her fur, others plainly visible, and marring any sense of uniformity in her coat. She knew that they represented...well almost a lifetime’s worth of work, learning, and testing, but it seemed as though almost all the mammals in her life were scarred in one way or another.When she and Nicole had been grooming each other, she had seen that the vixen’s body was a roadmap of a kind. Each of the scars a permanent reminder of the perils associated with living a precarious life. Her scars had been earned when her attempts to skirt the social line that separated legal from illegal went awry. She hadn’t been told the whole story, but she was smart enough, and had been close enough to that line herself a few times growing up, to read between the lines.

Looking back towards the older coyote, she once again considered how those scars were earned. For a mammal like Carol, scars like that were earned in combat, or in training. Each one a potential reminder of one’s own mortality, but also in a way, each one of them represented a moment where the Reaper didn’t get his due.

“That which does not kill you, makes you stronger,” she said quietly, not wanting her words to reach the ears of the gathered mammals.

Nadine chose that moment to chime in, “I checked in with Delgato and Zephyr, and they’re both going to meet us at Mac’s” The tigress looked over towards Carol, and made an unsure gesture with her paws. “Will the Doc be joining us tonight?”

The question made the coyote stop in her tracks, and Celeste was surprised to see the trainer’s ears pin back slightly before she managed to regain control. Looking back towards Fangmeyer, she shook her head, and even Celeste could see that she wasn’t happy about something.

“No, he’s going to be tied up in the lab for a while yet.” Carol paused for a moment, and Sue made her way over to the smaller pred. As Celeste quickly looked between her fellow officers, she could see the concern on Sue and Nadine’s muzzles. Even Nicole poked her head out from her stall, her own ears pulled back against her scalp.

“Any chance this one will be different?” the cheetah asked as she placed one of her paws on the trainer’s shoulder.

Carol didn’t say anything, and simply shook her head, brushing the paw off of her shoulder as she did so. Celeste knew that there was a story behind the trainer’s sudden mood change, but before she could ask, she noticed Fangmeyer trying to get her attention. When she looked over to the large feline, Nadine making a cutting motion across her throat while mouthing the words “Later” at the young coyote.

Celeste nodded her head in reply, letting the tigress know that the message was received and understood. “I asked Allen if he wanted to join us...if that’s okay?” she asked; eager to direct the conversation in a more positive direction. Fangmeyer looked down of the small coyote, a slightly confused expression plainly visible on her muzzle. It only lasted a moment, before her eyes widened, and that confusion was replaced by a more sultry look.

“Ohhh, right,” the tigress said as her eyes widened and her expression took on an amused countenance. “You and pretty boy are an item.”“Pretty boy?” Celeste queried, not quite sure how she should respond to jibe. Nadine laughed at the younger female’s puzzled expression. “You’d need to be blind to not recognize that there is one well built mammal.” The tigress finished disrobing and headed towards the showers herself, giving Celeste a wink as she went by.

Sue was the next to speak up, and Celeste was slightly embarrassed to suddenly be the focus of attention, “Whitefoot, I’m not even into canines, but Nadine’s right; you’d have to be blind to not recognize that he’s a catch...and possibly bordering on unreasonably hot.”

The comments from the two big cats, had surprised Celeste. Although the was sill inexperienced when it came to relationships, she knew that Allen and she had come together because of the mammals that they were, not merely because they found each other attractive...although she did admit that her yummy puppy was easy on the eyes. They were kindred souls after a fashion, and when they were together...it was like they just fit in a way that no one else ever had.

Regardless of her embarrassment, Sue and Nadine’s comments did cause her to examine Allen in a more physical sense. As she thought back over the time they shared together, the images in her mind lent weight to her colleagues’ comments. She was still off on her mental reverie when her tail began to wag of its own volition...again. Looking back over her shoulder, she eyed the offending appendage with only a small bit of resignation.“Traitor!” she mumbled to herself, but Sue managed to overhear the comment, and laughed at the young officer, before placing a comforting paw on her shoulder, shaking her head at the coyote in both admonition and in support.

“Come on, Whitefoot,” she said after a moment before pointing down towards the coyote’s tail. “That little ‘traitor’ there is one of the best lie detectors there is, and what it’s telling me is that you are one lucky lady.”

Celeste laughed at the comment, and finally made her way to an available stall. The friendly banter from her colleagues washed over her as surely as the spray from the shower. To her surprise, she found herself laughing alongside them more often than not.

 _“I’m not quite ready to contribute,”_ she thought to herself, once again looking down at her tail, which, even soaked through and covered in shampoo, once again was wagging up a storm.

One final thought crossed her mind as she began rinsing the suds from her coat, after so many years spent mostly alone, that night was the first in a very long time where she felt like she belonged anywhere other than with her colleagues over at Precinct 4.

 _“I’m one of them!”_

* * *

 

Surprisingly, the traffic jam in the change room developed after all her colleagues had washed away the evidence of their training. Although Carol hadn’t exaggerated regarding the type and quantity of the personal care supplies present for everyone to use, there were only two full body fur dryers in the changeroom.

The delay had given her a chance to once again mingle with her colleagues, and although there was still that feeling of unease, and hesitation, she found herself laughing along more often than not.

When her turn came to dry off, Nicole caught her eye, and gave her a surreptitious thumbs up and a wink. The vixen has obviously been keeping track on her roommate’s attitude during the evening. Celeste had to smile at the sight...partially because, aside from the thorough beating she had received as part of her initiation, she was actually enjoying herself.

It hadn’t taken long for all of the females to throw on their civilian clothes, and prepare themselves to leave. Just as she was getting the last of her things together, Celeste happened to look over at Carol, and saw the older coyote retrieve a sheathed knife of some kind from her locker. The trainer quickly had the blade secured along her lower back, just above her waist, with the hilt pointing downward. Once Carol put on a light T-shirt and spring jacket, if Celeste hadn’t know it was there, she would never suspect its presence. Even with her rather basic knowledge of such things, she recognized movements that had been drilled to such a degree that she doubted that the Carol even realized that the action had taken place.

It wasn’t a common accessory for most mammals to have, and even then, something more akin to a multi tool was used. Based on her limited time with Carol, she suspected that freeing up stubborn screws was not the primary reason for her wanting to cary the blade around. “But that is a question for another time,” she thought to herself as she headed out to meet everyone in the parking lot. As Celeste passed through the empty front lobby, she could see most of the class were waiting outside through the tinted windows. Before leaving, Celeste saw Carol take a moment to enter a rather lengthy code into a panel just outside of the changerooms. There weren’t any logos to be found on the keypad, and she didn’t remember seeing any of the stickers warning would be thieves that a security system was in place.“But in about half of those locations,” she thought to herself, with a small chuckle. “that sticker is the only part of the system that’s actually present.”

Carol finished setting up the system, whatever it was, and then looked over to where Nicole and Celeste were standing by the front door, Nicole holding it open for the trainer.

The older coyote noticed Celeste’s interest in the alarm system, and she gave a small laugh while trotting over to join her students.

“That little number is a custom security system, Whitefoot,” Carol said as she allowed to front door to close before ensuring that it was secure. “Officially, this place is a ZAF property, and we do keep a variety of weapons, including firearms in the back.”

Celeste’s eyes widened in surprise, actual firearms were extremely rare in the city itself, and although Celeste had seen them used out in Bunnyburrow every now and then when a stray bird of prey would try it’s luck on the mammals who lived there, but having weapons of that type, here?

The worry must have shown on her face, as Carol laughed and shook her head at the younger female, “They’re replicas Whitefoot. Very, very accurate replicas.” She finished ensuring that the door was locked for the second time, and then motioned towards the assembled mammals, and directed them down the sidewalk.Celeste, Julius and Nicole took up a position near the front of the pack, and while they were walked, Carol continued on with her impromptu lesson.

“We didn’t work with them tonight, but having some training for you ZPD officers is a must,” the trainer had a far away look in her eyes when she spoke, and Celeste cocked her head in curiosity.Once again, the older coyote waved the concern away, “I’ve seen first paw what those weapons do to a mammal. I’ve been on both the sending and receiving end of that particular horror…and there’s no place for anything like that in Zootopia.” Giving herself a shake while subconsciously reaching up to rub her shoulder, as the memory of how she earned that particular scar was dredged up. Movement out of the corner of Celeste’s eye attracted her gaze to Nicole, who was idly tracing a claw tip along one of the small scars that dotted the vixen’s body. Given her previous experience with firearms, Celeste knew that it would be a very personal thing for Nicole.

Julius must have seen the gesture as well, and her reached out to offer his mate some small bit of support, and the smile that spread over her muzzle at his touch, showed that his gesture was appreciated.

Carol turned on her heel and walked backwards so that she could meet her student’s gaze. “Those replicas are designed to match their real world versions exactly. All the parts move the same way, the weight is identical to a loaded firearm,” Carol added, before shrugging her shoulders. “The side effect of that is, they can fool almost anyone into thinking they’re real.”

“She’s right, Whitefoot,” Wolford chimed in from the middle of the group, where he had one of his arms affectionately wrapped around the waist of Nadine. “I’ve only come across a couple of pistols over the years, but when I was using the training replicas, without dropping the mag, there’s no way I’d know the difference.”The much larger tigress used the statement as an excuse to but her head gently against the wolf, who gave a small chuckle at the cat’s actions before returning the affectionate gesture.

Celeste’s eyes widened when she realized that the wolf and tigress were an item, and a small smile formed on her muzzle as she saw the shared affection between the two.

Nadine looked towards Celeste after a moment and gave the younger coyote a knowing wink. “I wasn’t kidding when I said that Whitehorse was a catch, pup,” the much larger tigress made a show of easily pulling Wolford closer into her side; the wolf laughing unabashedly at the ease with which the tigress was able to move him. “I’m a bit partial to a more...experienced partner, but you’ve got yourself a real keeper, Celeste.”

The younger coyote laughed at the pairs antics, but also shrank down as the focus seemed to turn towards her. Nicole must have seen her expression, and laughed quietly before she chose to wrap her arm around Julius’ shoulder, pulling him in close to her. Julius startled slightly at the contact, but then Celeste saw the buck relax into his mate and the tension drained away. Even Celeste knew that it had taken the two mammals longer than it should have to finally recognize their feelings for each other. Now that they had accepted fate, the expressions on the assembled ZPD mammals showed that the couple had the support of every one of them.

“We ended up being trendsetters of a sort,” Julius said, having sussed out the origin of the embrace he was currently enjoying, and also Celeste’s expression of surprise. “...inadvertently at least, but at least a few mammals decided to let their feeling be known.”

Nicole gave a bark of laughter at the comment and rolled her eyes at her mate before pulling him even closer into her side. After taking a moment to relax and enjoy the warmth of the rabbit’s presence, she waved her paw dismissively at her colleagues, “Back to the gun issue, fortunately they’re as rare as hen’s teeth out on the streets...and the odds are that most of those either barely, or don’t work, or the mammals can’t even find ammunition for them.” The vixens face became a bit troubled as she thought back to her own experiences that, and Julius must have felt the vixen tense at what was probably a fairly unhappy moment, and he pulled Nicole in even closer, as well as meeting her eyes, in a silent show of support.

Thinking about their various backgrounds, the scars, both visible and hidden all told a story. While the origin for those souvenirs was probably quite different from Carol’s, more than likely shared a common tragic theme.Nicole gave herself a small shake and smiled down at Julius. The vixen sighed and shrugged as her expression once again grew more serious. “The worst is when a mammal of...questionable morals manages to find both of those items.”

Wilde looked between Julius and Celeste, “When that happens, a lot of them want to see how well their new ‘toy’ works...and there’s usually a big price for that.”

The assembled mammals all nodded their heads in unison, each of them having seen exactly how high that price could be, either while out on patrol, or merely from their time at the academy.

Sue was the first one to break free from the pall that had come over the group, and she let out a dramatic sigh, “Enough of this!” the cheetah said as she picked up the pace motioning for the assembled mammals to keep up. “If we’re going to go down this road, I need a beer.”

Nicole shook her head and laughed as the cheetah made good on her word. The vixen shared a glance between Julius, and Celeste before releasing her one armed embrace, and the three of them sped up to a light jog. For the larger mammals, it was more a brisk walk, with even Wolford and Grizzoli able to keep up without issue.

For the smaller mammals, Carol included, they kept pace, and the ZAF trainer laughed at the antics of her students.Once again, Celeste was struck with a sense of belonging that was still quite new, and unfamiliar. For once though, the uncertainty wasn’t an unpleasant thing, and she found herself smiling as she shared in the laugher o her comrades.

It didn’t take them long to reach the pub. From the outside, it looked like any number of other bars that Celeste had come across. The paw carved wooden signs and accents imparted a Celtic vibe to the building, and it projected a warmth that seemed to beckon to her with promises of comfort. She knew about the social role that they played, but her general avoidance of alcohol...and her shy nature had all conspired to keep her ignorant of many of the social norms that she knew her fellow ZPD officers took part in. As they approached the large wooden front door, Celeste’s nose began twitching as the scents from inside the pub became more distinct. A low rumbling behind had her, along with the other mammals in the group looking back towards Ivan Grizzoli. The white wolf was holding a paw to his midsection, and when he looked up at the rest of the group, he shrugged with indifference towards them.

“Hey, what can I say?” he began as he continued towards the pub’s entrance, “I’m famished, and it’s wing night.” The wolf paused for a moment and purposefully swept his gaze over Celeste, and a mischievous grin spread over his face. “Well Whitefoot,” he began, the tone of his voice adding a hint of amusement...and challenge to his words, “You’re about to embark on one other rite of passage for ZPD Precinct One. Mac’s ZAF inspired blazin suicide wings!”

Even Celeste had to roll her eyes at the comment, and there was a shared laugh among the group as they arrived at their destination.

Celeste had to shake her head at the male, and she waved a paw dismissively at him. This was one challenge that she was well prepared to meet head on.

“Ivan, I haven’t met a hot sauce yet I could not conquer,” she said with conviction, and noticed the smiles on the other ZPD officers grow just a little wider at her words. The coyote motioned towards Nicole as she continued, trying to sound confident in her capabilities. “Just ask Nicole why I’m not allowed to cook for the two of us unless she’s seen the ingredient list first.”

Once again, the group shared a laugh at the comment, and it was Carol who pivoted on her heel to look back on her new student. The smile on the trainer’s muzzle had that same wry amusement etched in it that Celeste recognized from back in the salle.

“Many mammals have made that statement, Whitefoot,” she said after a moment. “That sauce represents the distilled longing that all servicemammals develop when forced to subsist on something that the brass call ‘food’,” Carol made a show of pantomiming quotation marks, which spoke volumes about the ZAF experience in this regard. “Put simply, there is never such a thing as too hot, and this particular version of liquid hell is the brainchild of an old friend from the Zootopia Marine Corps.” Carol gave a small laugh as she turned to face the pub once again.

Calling back over her shoulder, she continued, “As loathe as I am to praise a Jarhead, Gunny Willis deserves all the credit for finally creating something that can cover up...whatever it is that’s in most of the pred MREs.”

Celeste had to laugh at Carol’s commentary, and at least in this, she was confident that, whatever the older coyote could dish out, she would be able to handle.

In contrast to her earlier statements about needing a beer, Sue paused at the door, and held the door for her comrades. As soon as they stepped inside, the sounds and smells became more distinct, and the young coyote’s ears twitched back and forth as she took in the unfamiliar locale. The interior of the pub was very much representative of its external appearance. The walls, the long bar that covered almost the full length of left wall, and the chairs and tables that took up the rest of the floor space were hewn from solid wood it seemed. Identifying the exact type was well beyond her skills, but it all melded together into something that was comforting on an almost visceral level.

There were a lot of mammals already present, and many were seated in small groups. She recognized some of the mammals, either having met them during her occasional visit to precinct one, or recognizing them from the descriptions...and stories that Nicole often told about the fellow mammals at Precinct 1.

She was still taking in the sights and smells when a tap on her shoulder gave her a small start. Looking over, she saw Sue point with her free paw towards one of the tables where two male big cats were waving them over.

“That’s Zephyr and Delgato,” the female cheetah supplied, pointing out the cheetah and lion for her benefit, and motioned for Celeste to follow her. “I don’t see Whitehorse here just yet, but you said he was going to swing by, right?”

Celeste nodded in reply, noticing once again that her tail was doing it’s damndest to ensure that everyone was aware of…

She stopped for a moment as she realized that, she was simply happy. She knew that Allen would be there shortly, but already she was far more relaxed than she had anticipated after the training session. The mammals at the 4th precinct had their own local haunt that they frequented, the Wayfarer, and from a design standpoint, the two could not be more different.

The Wayfarer was a modern place. A bit brighter than the subdued warm tones of this place...but the atmosphere was so similar, it just seemed like she was already home.

She gave a small laugh and shook her head at the, admittedly, minor revelation, and then followed Sue to meet the other ZPD mammals. The male cheetah, stepped towards Sue as she approached, and the female wasted no time in wrapping him in an embrace, as she rubbed his cheeks with her own.

Celeste’s ears twitched as she heard a low rumbling purr coming from both cats, and she couldn’t help but smile at the pair. Their intimate moment only lasted for a few seconds before Pawmyer gave a dramatic sigh, and released he hold on her mate. Looking back towards Celeste, she gestured between the two male cats and the smaller coyote.

“This is Jake Zephyr, and Marcus Delgato,” she said as a brief introduction, first indicating the cheetah, and then the lion. “Boys, this is Celeste Whitefoot, out of the 4th, and Spitfire’s latest victim.”

Jake gave Celeste a once over with his eyes, which then widened in surprise. He looked between his mate, Celeste, and Carol as she approached with the rest of their group.

“Wait, she’s just coming from her first session?” he asked after a moment, and Celeste was amused to see the look of disbelief spread to Delgato’s visage as well.

The lion gave a quiet whistle as he took in the news. “How is she still upright?” he asked after a moment, and there was a bark of laughter from Carol as she took in the scene.

“Not every mammal who comes through my doors has an over-inflated sense of their paw to paw skills, gentlemammals,” the trainer added with a laugh. “Patrolmammal Whitefoot here has some rough edges to be sure...and she’ll probably have some...creative expletives for me in the morning when several painful reminders of areas where she better improve on, become even more apparent.”

Celeste cringes slightly at the emphasis that Carol placed on those words, but the elder coyote was all smiles when she continued on, “but all in all, it was a good start.”

Carol looked over the table for a moment, “Did you place the first order yet?” she asked, and when both males shook their heads, she motioned for Celeste to come with her to the bar. “Come on, Whitefoot,” the called out over her shoulder. “I can use a paw to help cart back the first round!”

Celeste’s ears pulled back for a moment, but she sighed and made to follow the older coyote.  
“Uhhh, I’m not really much of a drinker,” she stated hesitantly, not quite sure how it would be interpreted by Carol.

To her surprise, the trainer simply laughed, and looked back towards her with a genuine smile on her muzzle.

“As long as you can help carry back some pitchers, you’re welcome to have whatever you like,” Carol clarified, before looking back towards one of the bartenders, who Celeste noticed, already had three pitchers of beer along with a stack of chilled glasses waiting for them. The middle aged wolf nodded towards the pair as they approached, and he dramatically motioned towards the drinks.

“Three pitchers of Hopps and Robbers, and I already placed a order for four buckets of wings for the table,” the wolf said as they arrived. “Do you know if Officer Hopps will be going with beer tonight, or should I whip up some carrot bombs?”

Carol laughed and shook her head at the bartender. “Am I getting that predictable, Riley?” she asked as she motioned for Celeste to take one of the pitchers, along with a stack of glasses.

The wolf held up his paws in mock surrender. “You’re consistent, Latrans, not predictable. Oh and for the wing order, I went with two of the Blazin Suicide’s...as well as that special item that you asked me to look into.”

Carol’s grin became even wider...and showed far too many teeth to be entirely benign, and she rubbed her paws together in anticipation. “Colin figured out how to make it completely vegetarian?” she asked, and there was no concealing the mercurial zeal the colored her words.

Riley shook his head, and motioned over to where a young white tailed doe was scurrying between the kitchen and the guest tables. “Nope, this one is all thanks to Amber. She managed to find alternates for all the questionable ingredients...Oh, and then a bucket each of honey garlic and mild.”

Celeste’s ears twitched when she heard a distinctly unapproving note in Riley’s voice as he listed the final flavor option, but Carol gave an appreciative humm and licked her chops in anticipation of the...apparent treat. The smile quickly returned to the wolf’s muzzle looked over to Celeste for a moment before returning his gaze to Carol.

“New student?” he asked as he extended a paw towards the younger coyote before she had had a chance to pick up her share of the burden.

“Right you are,” Carol said as she picked up two of the pictures with one paw, and the second stack of glasses in her other. “Riley Packer, meet Celeste Whitefoot.”

Celeste took the wolf’s paw in her own, “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said and motioned over her shoulder back towards the pub’s entrance. “I’m stationed over with fourth precinct.”

“Pleased to meet you, Celeste,” Riley said before the two of them released each other’s paw. The big wolf made a sweeping gesture, as a sly grin appeared on his muzzle. “Welcome to Mac’s, my pride and joy.”

Celeste gave a small laugh at the wolf’s attempts at injecting drama into the conversation, but her head cocked to the side, and she gave the barkeep a curious once over with her eyes. “Wait,” she said...If you’re the owner, what’s with the name.”

The wolf gave a real bark of laughter at Celeste’s question, before nodding his head approvingly. “You’re not native to Zootopia, are you Whitefoot?” He asked after a moment.

Celeste shook her head in reply, and noticed that Carol was quietly laughing to herself.

Riley just nodded before pointing back over his shoulder towards one of the many photographs hanging behind the bar. When Celeste examined it more closely, she saw that it was a group of three mammals dressed in ZPD dress blues. It took her a moment, but she recognized a younger version of Riley, along with a bison and a coyote.

“The coyote there was the Mac in question,” Riley added, and Celeste noticed a hint of sadness in his words...as well as his use of the word ‘was’ in his description.

“We were all ZPD over in Precinct One...actually we were over where precinct one used to be before they got a significant upgrade, and we had been the Three Musketeers since our days in the academy.” The wolf took a moment to look Celeste over before continuing. “Mac came up with the idea for this place,” He gave a small laugh, and when he continued, his voice took on a higher pitch as he attempted to recreate the scene from decades ago. “Come on guys! We make a place where our buddies feel welcome, and we get free drinks to boot!”

Riley shrugged and laughed at the memory, “Well, all three of us pooled out money, and started working to open this place.”Riley took a step back, and motioned for Celeste to look down while gesturing to his legs. When she did, she immediately recognized the brace that was supporting the wolf’s right limb.

Riley looked back towards the photo, and reached out a paw to touch the image of his friend. “Fate had other plans for him though,” the wolf said somberly. “The explosion that gave me this little souvenir...well Mac didn’t make it. Once the dust settled, I retired from the ZPD for medical reasons, but Josh, that’s him by the way,” he clarified while pointing towards the bison, “he’s still out on the streets...well more correctly, he’s behind a desk at the seventh.”Allowing his eyes to sweep over the pub’s interior, the old wolf smiled warmly...but Celeste saw that the expression didn’t make it into his gaze. “We both agreed that we would make this place a reality; for Mac, as well as every other mammal in uniform, and that’s been the case for going on thirty years now.” the wolf gave a small bow towards Celeste and Carol as he finished his tale.

Celeste took the opportunity to quickly look over the other photographs that were hung behind the bar. There were probably hundreds, stretching almost to the ceiling of the pub. In each and every one, the mammals were either in uniform, or were seen sitting somewhere inside the pub. Her head cocked to the side as she noticed another common thread. In all the images, down in the bottom right corner, there were icons or symbols.

She looked at Riley, and she could see that the older wolf was nodding to himself, as he caught where her gaze had been jumping to after his tale.

When the young coyote leaned a bit closer, the symbols came into focus, and her eyes widened as she instantly understood their meaning. There were six different ones that she could clearly see, the ZPD, ZFD, and EMT badges were the most obvious of them, along with the logo of the ZAF. Given this place’s history as a safe haven for all mammals in uniform, it wasn’t surprising in the slightest.

The other two were more unfamiliar. One took the form of what looked like a rod or staff of some kind that was capped off with a pair of wing. There were two snakes coiled around the staff, and it took her a moment to realize she had seen this symbol before, both from the various history books that she had read over the years, but also every time she went into a hospital.

The Caduceus was of ancient origin, easily dating back thousands of years. As was the case for the Star of Life present on the EMT’s badge, this was a symbol for healers. Doctors, nurses, and technicians were all included under the symbol’s auspice. In many cases, this also included chaplains or other positions where the spiritual and mental well being of the various servicemammals were looked after.

The final symbol was a complete mystery however. It was a simple six sided star, devoid of any additional markings.

Whatever its symbolism, Celeste was quickly able to interpret their purpose. Looking back at the photo of Riley, Mac, and Josh, she saw the single ZPD shield down in the corner.

 _“It’s a memorial!”_ she thought and took a step back in an attempt to take in the sheer number of mammals who were represented here. As she gazed at the individuals who had sacrificed so much to keep Zootopia safe, her paws subconsciously rose to her muzzle as the sheer cost of that goal.

She noticed that both Carol and Riley were nodding in approval as she took it all in, only snapping out of her reverie when she heard the clinking of glasses, as the barkeep placed three tumblers on the bar’s surface, along with a bottle of what she thought was scotch.

When the wolf went to pour the three of them a drink, Carol spoke up before Celeste could get a word in edgewise. “Whitefoot’s not much of a drinker, Riley,” she said as the wolf finished pouring the first glass.

Although Celeste really did not enjoy alcohol...of the effect that drinking too much of it had on a mammal, she wasn’t so socially ignorant to not recognize the tribute that was about to come. <

“For something like this, I’ll make an exception,” Celeste said as she once again looked over all the photographs, and looked at the faces of her brothers and sisters in uniform, and the staggering number of them who had made that ultimate sacrifice. She did take a moment to look back at Riley, and held up one paw with her index digit and thumb held close together, “but just a little one, if you don’t mind.”

At this, the wolf nodded in approval as he passed the first glass over to Carol, who and then poured the second and third glasses, with the final one containing little more than a splash of scotch...while his own drink seemed like its purpose was to make up the difference from hers.

When she picked up the glass, the barkeep looked between the two coyotes before raising his glass. Celeste and Carol mirrored the gesture.

After a moment, Riley turned towards the wall of photos, his glass still raised in salute, “To absent comrades, friends, and family. We honor their memory, and work to build upon the foundation that they left us.”

“To comrades, friends and family.” Celeste and Carol repeated, and Celeste saw several other mammals in the pub also raise a glass to their fallen comrades out of the corner of her eye.

Once she saw Riley and Carol move to down their drinks, Celeste did likewise...or she tried to at least.

As soon as the liquid hit her tongue, the harshness of the alcohol nearly overwhelmed her senses. She fought past the pain and quickly swallowed the scotch, just managing to keep the liquid down, as she coughed uncontrollably.

She felt a paw pat her back as the coughing started to subside, and when she looked up, she saw Carol at her side, trying to support the younger coyote. She could see that both the trainer, as well as the bartender were more amused by her suffering than offended, and Riley offered her a glass of water, which she quickly downed.

There were smiles on Carol and Riley’s faces as the younger officer recovered. The wolf raised an eyebrow towards Carol, “So, do you want to tell her, or should I?” he asked when it became clear that Celeste was indeed recovering.

Carol continued to keep her attention on the younger coyote, and motioned with her free paw for Riley to go ahead.

The wolf took a moment to ensure that the label of the bottle was pointed towards Celeste, before retrieving a folder from behind the bar. After flipping through it, he tapped a claw tip on an entry that Celeste couldn’t make out from her current angle.

“Oh good,” Riley said after looking over the information, “it looks like someone updated the pricing just about a month ago.” The wolf pointed towards the bottle and began to list off its attributes. “Okay, so Macallan single malt scotch, aged in charred oak for eighty years. Most recent price at auction was just under fifty four thousand dollars.”

Celeste’s eyes widened in shock and she was transfixed by the unassuming bottle casually left out on the bar.

Both Carol and Riley laughed at her expression, and the barkeep pointed towards Carol. “So your damage is going to be right around four grand, Latrans.” He shrugged and motioned towards his own glass, “Fortunately, being the owner means that I get to write it off as a business expense.”

Terror started to creep into Celeste’s expression as she looked down at her empty glass. Riley pretended not to notice the young officer’s distress, and pantomimed making some calculations in his head before continuing.

“Now, I only gave you a quarter shot, so for you, it’s just an easy grand. Aren’t you glad you managed to keep it down?” he stated, and Celeste looked up at the wolf in shock. His expression was one of detached indifference as he gathered up their glasses, and returned the bottle to its place behind the bar.

When he came back up, he was holding on to a point of sale terminal, and he motioned towards Celeste, “We take cash, debit, and all major credit cards,” he said without hesitation, and gone was the amusement and mirth that had been present only a few short minutes ago.

Celeste could feel her heart began racing, and she looked towards Carol...only to see that the trainer was trying...and failing to hide her amusement at the scene in front of her.

Riley gave an exasperated sigh and threw up both paws in surrender. “Come on, Latrans!” he said, and Celeste quickly began to calm down, realizing that she had been a part of a joke. From the looks of the other patrons in the pub, a long running to boot. All the mammals who were close enough to have overheard the conversation, were also trying to hold back their laughter.

“You know full well that we only get to do this to new mammals once,” Riley said, but there was far more amusement than condemnation in his voice. He sighed theatrically once again, and returned his gaze to Celeste, allowing himself a quiet chuckle when he saw her expression.

“Just so you know,” he began once he was certain that no additional amusement would be forthcoming from his prey, “that actually is what that bottle costs, and that’s why it only comes out when we’re welcoming a new brother or sister in arms.” The wolf once again offered his paw to the young coyote, and when she took it in her own, he nodded in a sagely manner. “Welcome to Mac’s, Patrolmammal Whitefoot. This refuge is open to you and yours from this day forward.”

Celeste had to laugh at the formality of the welcome, but she smiled at the bartender, and nodded her thanks.

Carol gave her a tap on the arm, and motioned towards the pitchers and glasses that were still on the bar’s surface. When she made to pick up her share of the burden, the older coyote motioned towards her, “Did you want coffee, tea, or something else, Whitefoot?”

Celeste considered the question for a moment, “Tea sounds good to me.”

Carol nodded and looked back towards Riley, “So, one pot of tea, and I think Whitefood would probably like a Hindsight is Twenty-Twenty, but minus the regret.”

The younger coyote fixed Carol with an inquisitive gaze, and the other coyote just laughed, “Don’t worry, Celeste. It’s basically a very tasty protein smoothie, which will probably help your disposition when you wake up tomorrow.” Carol picked up the remaining two pitchers, along with a second stack of glasses and started making her way back to the table, where it appeared that the first order of wings was arriving at that moment.

Celeste came up beside Carol, her head once again cocking to the side in curiosity. “...and that ‘minus the regret’ part?” she asked, but before Carol could answer, the appreciative cheers of their table mates washed over them.

The two coyotes, passed around the glasses, and the group quickly settled in with their drinks in paw, and Celeste looked over the food options.

Carol took a sizable gulp of beer, and sighed contentedly before looking back at Celeste.

“The normal Hindsight is…” the older coyote paused as she considered the right descriptor for the beverage’s makeup. “fortified with a triple shot of Kahlua, but in your case, that particular medication might not be the best option.” She gave Celeste a wink, before she took the opportunity to take another long draught from her beer, before motioning towards the buckets of steaming wings.

Without missing a beat,Carol snatched up one of the almost glowing wings, “Now for the next bit of entertainment this evening,” she said before stripping the meat from the bone in a single bite.

There was a brief whistle from Zephyr who was shaking his head in disbelief.“How do you do that, Latrans?” he asked before selecting a couple of the honey garlic wings for himself and Sue.

Carol simply laughed, and reached for another wing. “There is no such thing as too hot, Zephyr.”

Wolford pushed one of the suicide wing buckets towards Celeste, and there was genuine amusement in the wolf’s gaze, “And now, Whitefoot, it’s your chance to see if there really is no hot sauce that you can’t conquer.

”With a snort of derision, Celeste grabbed one of the wings, and after giving it a quick sniff, she mimicked Carol’s technique, and quickly reduced the wing to little more than bone.The assembled mammals leaned towards her, and with the exception of Nicole, there was a mixture of amusement, curiosity, and concern written on their faces.

The burn started towards the back of her mouth, and she had already determined that the sauce was liberally spiked with some variety of habanero, but as the heat built, it became obvious, that the sauce made us of some of the more aggressive varieties out there.

 _“Okay, it’s hot,”_ she thought to herself, and she could feel some tears threatening to fall, but then the burning sensation plateaued, and she cocked her head to the side as she waited for the possibility of a second round of torment to arrive.

After a moment, the younger coyote shrugged her shoulders, and reached for another wing. An action to which there were gasps of disbelief, along with Carol nodding approvingly at her new student.

Zephyr looked between the two coyotes, with utter disbelief. “So are all coyotes crazy, or just the two of you?” He asked after a moment, and another round of laughter resulted from the statement. After giving himself a shake, he returned his attention to his own...less painful meal.

The ice had been truly broken at this point, and the group began passing around the food , with only Nicole and Julius not taking part. The reason for Julius’ rejection was pretty understandable. Being a rabbit, his diet was almost exclusively plant based. For the vixen, it was a more complicated story. Celeste knew that Nicole did eat meat, but she also made it a point to try and stick to a vegetarian diet, particularly when she and Julius were together.

Her musings were interrupted when she saw Riley approaching from the bar. The wolf was holding a tall glass in one paw, and a plate in the other. As he came nearer, Celeste’s nose recognized the scent of the suicide sauce wafting from the plate, but the contents of the glass weren’t quite as obvious.

Riley stopped at the table, and placed the glass in front of Celeste, “One Hindsight is Twenty-Twenty, minus the regret,” before placing the plate in front of Julius, “And one Shitaki Hellstorm for Officer Hopps.” the wolf said, and Julius’ eyes widened as he looked at the offering.

The morsels on the plate were obviously deep fried mushrooms from Riley’s description, and Celeste had to shake her head when Carol laughed at the rabbit’s expression. “Come on now, Hopps,” she said, and a malicious twinkle could be seen in her eyes. “You managed to avoid this tradition back when you first started, but I never forgot.” She motioned towards Rile with one paw, “I asked for a special menu item be made just for you, and tonight, it’s finally ready.”Riley laughed at the spectacle, and smiled down at the diminutive officer. “This is completely vegetarian, but we took special care to ensure that there was no loss of...potency in the dish.” He made a sweeping gesture towards the dish before taking a step back from the table. “Please, dig in.”

Celeste could only shake her head at the scene. Julius was already starting to hyperventilate, and Nicole was doing what she could to offer support. She took the opportunity to take a sip of her drink, and nodded approvingly at the taste. It was very sweet, and she could taste a mixture of berries along with what she suspected was peanut butter.

Julius, was still fixated on the food in front of him, but everyone could see that the bunny wouldn’t let this challenge beat him. After taking a single deep breath, the buck popped one of the smaller morsels into his mouth, and closed his eyes as he started chewing.From her own experience, Celeste was counting down the seconds in anticipation of the spice burn that was coming. Julius managed to swallow the first bite, but then the rabbit’s form was wracked with a series of coughs as the heat built.“Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!” the buck managed to choke out while his eyes flitted across the table searching for help.

Nicole pushed Julius’ glass into the rabbit’s par, and he wasted no time downing the brew. From the rapid panting that started when he lowered his glass, it wasn’t enough to stop the pain. Nicole took a moment to refill Julius’ glass, and she watched with genuine concern as he proceeded to polish off the second pint.

Nicole looked towards Celeste, or more correctly, towards Celeste’s drink. Pointing to it with one paw, she looked over to Riley, “Is that safe for him to drink?” she asked, already reaching for the glass, and Celeste wasted no time in handing it over.

The wolf nodded his head, and he appeared to be somewhat concerned at the rabbit’s plight. “It should be fine, it’s mainly soy based.”

Nicole nodded, and passed the drink over to her partner. Julius took a deep draught, and then he simply sat still, with both of his ears hanging limply behind him.

There was a moment of silence as the assembled mammals collectively held their breath. Julius licked his lips several times before taking a second sip of the Hindsight.The buck took a deep breath and then opened his eyes. He first looked towards Nicole, and reached over to take her paw, “Thanks, Nicole,” he said simply before another bout of coughing came over him.

Fortunately this episode didn’t last long, and the rabbit quickly recovered. Shaking his head, he pointed towards Carol, who’s expression had shifted from concern to unbridled amusement, as had the faces of the rest of the table.

“Carol, you are completely insane,” he said after a moment before looking between Nicole, Celeste, and Carol, all of whose expressions were still shifting from concern to amusement, “and I’m starting to worry that having Nicole introduce the two of you to each other, may not have been the greatest of ideas.”

Although the rabbit’s tone implied a degree of severity as he gestured towards the neon-colored torture that the two coyotes genuinely seemed to enjoy, but the seriousness of his tone didn’t last long, and his attempts to stop the smile from appearing on his muzzle proved to be in vain.

Delgato gave a snort of amusement as he looked down at his fellow officer. “Latrans being crazy, that’s not exactly a revelation, Hopps.”, the lion stated while motioning towards where Carol was trying...and failing to mask her amusement at the expense of Julius’ tribulations, now that she was certain he would recover.

The trainer managed to recover after a moment, and shook her head towards Delgato, “Well someone here needs to keep our storied and hallowed traditions alive,” Carol took a sip of her beer while waving a paw dismissively in the general direction of the remaining feast, “all four and a half years of having them.”

The group, seemingly in unison, rolled their eyes at the trainer, but they all quickly returned their attention to the food. Seemingly out of nowhere, Celeste saw Amber remove the Shitake Hellstorm from in front of Julius, replacing is with what appeared to be a...less lethal version of the dish, as well as a large salad to go along with it, while also placing some kind of hot sandwich in front of Nicole.

“Sorry about that, Officer Hopps,” the deer said apologetically, “I thought it was pretty good, even with it being so spicy.”

Julius waved his paw while shaking his head, “Don’t worry about it, Amber.” There was a very real smile on the buck’s muzzle as he met the waitress’ gaze, while gesturing to the new dish placed in front of him. “What I did manage to taste before the gates of Hell opened was quite tasty, so I’m actually looking forward to a more sane version.”

When the waitress made to leave, Carol held up a paw to get her attention before motioning for the deer to leave the Hellstorm with her.

Carol looked over to Celeste, and motioned towards the dish with her paw, “Wanna share this one?” she asked, and Celeste nodded vigorously as she passed over her plate. After roughly splitting the dish in two, Carol slid the plate to Celeste. Both coyotes made a show of offering the spicy treat to the other ZPD mammals before tucking in to the feast. Even Celeste had to admit that, for a vegetarian item, the heat from the sauce did wonders for masking the slight bitterness she often found associated with vegetable dishes.

She was just preparing to take another bite when Nicole tapped on her shoulder, and motioned towards the pub’s entrance.Looking up, Celeste’s smile broadened, and even seated, she felt her tail begin to wag as she saw Allen enter and start scanning the interior of the bar, presumably for her.She quickly wiped her muzzle with a napkin before standing up and waving to attract the wolf’s attention. It only took Allen a second to look towards her, and what could only be described as a goofy grin spread over his muzzle as he waved back at his coyote. Sue and Nicole shuffled their chairs around to make room for the wolf, and Celeste fought the urge to tear across the intervening space, and let her yummy puppy make his way over.

  
...well she almost succeeded at any rate.

Once Allen came within a few feet of the table, he opened his arms to Celeste, and any thoughts of acting calm were dashed against the overwhelming desire to be close with her mate.

She covered the distance swiftly and wrapped her own arms around his midsection, while sighing contentedly as he enveloped her much smaller form. Her nose twitched, and the combination of his touch along with his scent caused all the minor aches and pains to dissipate. Even though she knew that the moment would have to end at some point, she wasn’t going to be the one to do so.

It was only a pawful of seconds before Celeste’s ears twitched as the voices of several mammals at their table cried out suddenly.

Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Delgato, Johnson, Pawmeyer, and Zephyr were all recoiling from where Carol was alternating between coughing and an almost maniacal laughter. The ZPD officers were all dripping, having obviously been sprayed by the older coyote’s beer when something had surprised the trainer.Carol took a shuddering breath, before looking towards Celeste and Allen. “You, and he? You’re?” was all she managed to get out before she once again lost any form of control, and degenerated into another fit of laughter.

Celeste’s ears pinned back in an instant, and her face radiated the shock at Carol’s reaction. She had thought that the two of them had made a connection, but the trainer’s reaction sent a spike of pain through her.

Allen must have sensed her distress, and she could feel the low rumble of a growl begin to emanate from his throat.

The sound must have carried, to the table, as Carol’s ears snapped towards the pair, and she paused in her laughter as she took in the expressions plainly visible on their faces.

She was still fighting back laughter, but Carol frantically waved her paws in a placating gesture towards the pair, and out of the corner of her eye, Celeste caught Wolford looking between the three mammals before he too started shaking in quiet laughter.

“No, no, Whitefoot,” Carol said, now desperately trying to gain control, as she could clearly see that her actions had hurt the young couple. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Carol retrieved her phone from her pocket and proceeded to quickly flip through its contents. “Oh spirits, Celeste,” she began while passing her phone over to Robert, and motioning for him to give it to Celeste and Allen. “When I first met you earlier, I thought that there were some funny parallels between us, but this?” She motioned to the two canines, who were still holding onto each other, but everyone could see that Allen’s grip had taken on a more protective role.

Taking a calming breath, Carol motioned towards her phone. “But this? I think I need to have a serious conversation with my mother about any lost siblings I may have.”

Allen’s expression showed more confusion that hurt at the trainer’s words, and it only took him a moment’s glance at the offered phones screen, before he too was fighting back laughter.

Turning the device so that Celeste could see the screen, the younger coyote’s eyes first widened in surprise, before she too was helpless to hold back the laughter that instantly replaced the confused hurt that she had felt only moments ago.

What other response could there be when seeing the photo of Carol, standing just outside the door to this very pub, wrapped in the arms of a white furred wolf.

Carol motioned towards the phone with her paw, “That’s my nerdy boyfriend, and the Doc that everyone keeps referring to.” The older coyote gave her head a shake as she waved towards Riley, to have another round of drinks brought over for the group before looking back towards the couple and chuckling at the misunderstanding. “He also goes by Dave...well every now and then at least.”

Nadine gave a small chuff of laughter at the scene, “I thought he also went by Snow White, Latrans?”

Carol’s eyes narrowed as she looked towards the tigress. “There’s only one mammal who gets to call him that, any you’re lookin at her.”

Although the older coyote tried to maintain her serious facade, the efforts were in vain. Shaking her head in resignation, Carol rose from the table, and made her way towards where Celeste and her mate were still wrapped in each other’s arms.Seeing the pair, Carol couldn’t help but notice the rather parallels that had bubbled to the fore this evening. She and Celeste were two very different mammals, but at the core, they were very much united.“Sorry about that, Whitefoot.” she said, and there was genuine contrition in her tone as she reached out and placed a paw on Celeste’s shoulder. Her gaze flitted between the young coyote and her mate, and after releasing her student’s shoulder, she took a step back and just shook her head at the coincidences “I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, officer,” she stated calmly while offering her paw to the larger wolf. “Carol Latrans, AMCQC liaison for Savannah Central.”

The wolf shook his head, taking another glance at the phone in his pasw, and once again laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Swapping the phone to his other paw, Allen smiled and gripped Carol’s.“Allen Whitehorse,” he said simply. “Ptarolmammal for Savannah Central out of Precinct One.” The wolf released Carol’s paw, and returned her phone, which was quickly whisked out of sight into the coyote’s pocket.

Allen made a dismissive gesture, and when he glanced down at Celeste, he could see that, no apology was needed on the trainer’s part.

“Don’t worry about it, Ma’am,” Allen said, and before he could continue, there was the unique sound of laughter being choked off, and his ears twitched as they picked up the sound from most of the seated mammals.

When he looked down towards Carol, her ears were pinned back slightly, and the trainer had crossed both her arms across her chest. “‘Ma’am’, Whitehorse?” Carol asked, her voice managing to convey both amusement and chastisement in equal amounts. “Do I look that old to you, officer?”

Carol only maintained the charade for a few heartbeats, before giving the wolf a wink, and motioning for Celeste and he to join them at the table.

  
An amused chuckle could be heard from the assembled group as the pair took their seats, Robert having already slid a glass of beer over for the new arrival, and motioning towards the food already present on the table. After taking a quick sip, and sighing contentedly, he considered the options on the table.

“Dig in, Whitehorse,” Wolford said as he pushed one of the wing buckets in their direction. Allen nodded in thanks , but when he reached out, Celeste’s paw caught his own. Looking over at his mate, he saw her shaking her head in warning.

“Not those ones, Allen. Trust me.” she cautioned her mate before looking over to where Wolford threw his paws up in mock frustration.

“Come on, Whitefoot!” he said while shaking his head disapprovingly, but he could only maintain the facade for a few seconds, before the smile returned to his muzzle.Carol rolled her eyes at the wolf before taking a sip of beer, and motioning towards the suicide wings, “No one’s stopping you from enjoying them , Robert. I think we’ve already hit out torture limit for the evening after what we put Hopps through.”

The trainer focused her attention on Celeste and Allen. “ I still can’t believe the coincidences here, Whitefoot, Whitehorse. The fact that it we’re in this place, just makes it all the more crazy.” her expression took on a more sultry look, as she she focused on Allen, “And there probably is something to be said about male coyotes just not being up to the task of satisfying a lady.”The table immediately broke into a round of laughter, although the trainer’s words seemed to have the opposite effect on Celeste and her mate, as they both tried to make themselves as small as possible.

  
Nicole, not being one to let such an opportunity slip by, shook her head at Carol’s words, “Really, Carol? We’re both of an age where we know that, it’s not the size that matters, it’s how the male uses it.”Julius’ ears sprang up instantly before he too made an admirable attempt to become one with the chair. The vixen looked over at him, and gave him a wink as the table erupted into laughter once again.

It was Robert who broke the silence, and he pointed back towards the bar to emphasize his point, “Back to crazy coincidence between you two, this place is where Spitfire here first bumped into the Doc.”

“What, really?” Celeste asked, as she looked towards the older canine. “Was he military too?”

That question almost had Carol spraying the table with beer for the second time that evening. She did manage to regain control quickly, “Dave? In the ZAF?”, she asked, her amusement plainly evident from her tone. “No, that would have been one of the worst career choices in history for him. We met here, and once things got rolling, that’s all she wrote.”

Wolford let loose with another bark of laughter, “And all you needed to do to get his attention was to snap a tigers arm like a twig,” The wolf raised one paw before continuing, “Oh, wait! My mistake...it has been a few years. What I meant was that the tiger suffered a broken arm after due to a bad fall when he got into ...disagreement with Sergeant Latrans.”

Carol groaned and cupped her muzzle with her paws, “Wolford, you do know that I got docked two weeks pay for that little incident, right?”The words came out somewhat muffled by her paws, but they were still easily understandable. Releasing her head, she looked towards Celeste, “About the closest my Snow White gets to military life is vicariously through me.”

Celeste took in the words, and nodded in understanding, “Back in the changeroom, you mentioned him being stuck in a lab,” she asked, remembering Carol’s reaction from earlier.The smile slipped slightly from the older coyote’s face, but that was the only overt sign of distress. “He’s over at the Honeywell Centre,” Carol stated, waving a paw towards the east. “All the mammals there tend to wear many hats, but yeah it’s...yeah.” Carol’s voice trailed off, and now Celeste saw the trainer’s ears start to pull back. Delgato reached over a paw, and gave Carol’s shoulder a brief squeeze to show his support, “Those mammals do good work, Latrans. Don’t forget that, and don’t let him forget it.”

Carol took a moment to polish off her current drink and made to pour another one. “They all know that , Marc,” she said, and there was almost an exhausted edge to her tone. “Every day, he knows...Hell, all of them know that they’re going to lose patients.”

It was Allen who was the first to react to Carol’s words, “Every day, they lose someone?”, he asked after considering the older coyote’s words. “Is it something like hospice care?”

“No, Whitehorse,” Delgato replied, sliding his phone over to the younger officer. “That place is supposed to be a maternity clinic for inter couples.” He motioned towards the phone, and Allen held up the device so that he and Celeste could see it. The image was a simple one, a group of mammals in scrubs and lab coats standing outside of a hospital. One mammal in the photo wasn’t like the others, and the two canines both looked towards the cub who was riding on the shoulders of a female jaguar.

“All of them, they saved my nephew, Lucas,” the lion said, “...but that’s not what normally goes down there.”

Carol, took the opportunity to take a longer pull of beer, and shrugged, “For most inters, it will never be an issue. To different for things to work out. For others...the outcomes are usually bad.” After a moment’s silence from Celeste and Allen, Carol gave a small bark of laughter, and gestured between she and Celeste a few times before chiming it.“That’s not the case for us, Whitefoot,” Carol fixed both of the young ZPD officer with her gaze, “Wolves and coyotes are one hundred percent compatible, so unless the two of you are looking forward to the pitter patter of little paws, be careful.”

Both Celeste and Allen shared a quick glance at each other before nodding unison. The message was crystal clear for both of them,

_“Not now, not soon, but in the future? Maybe”_

The somber mood of the table evaporated, and true to its nature, the pub became a place to swap stories, make boasts, and relax after their earlier exertions.

* * *

 

As the group split apart, Celeste and Allen waited just outside the door for Nicole and Julius to exit. Carol was the next mammal to leave, and she made it a point to stop and offer her paw to the pair.“It was good to meet both of you, Whitefoot, Whitehorse” she said, once again looking over the smaller female, “And sorry for the confusion earlier. I was only half joking with the missing sibling comment.”

Celeste waved the apology away, now knowing that there hadn’t been any malice behind Carol’s behavior...and even she did have to admit that it was funny where their lives seemed to match up.

“Regardless, you two have a nice night, and Whitefoot, your next session is on Wednesday, and I’ll need to work up something special for the group” Celeste noted that the coyote’s words had taken on the same tone as when they were at the salle and just nodded in reply.

“Whitehorse, you’re not on my list currently, but the rotation is starting to speed up,” the trainer then nodded to the pair, before taking off in a measured lope.

Allen shook his head at the receding coyote and wrapped an arm around Celeste’s shoulder. She gladly allowed herself to be pulled in closer. They just stood there for a few moments, until both their ears twitched towards the door, just as Nicole and Julius walked through.

Neither Celeste of Allen made any move to separate, and the rabbit and vixen both shared a smile when they looked at the couple. They only did so for a moment before Julius cleared his throat, and with an overly theatrical groan they both released their holds on each other.

Julius motioned in both directions, “So what are the plans now?” he asked, his voice not giving any hints as to his own feelings.

Nicole considered it for a moment, before motioning towards her and Celeste’s apartment. “Let’s head back to our place,” she said, before reaching both her arms up into a stretch that was punctuated by elongated yawn.The effect of the rest of the group was as expected, and even though they tried to fight it, both Celeste and Julius were helpless to stop their own yaws from escaping.

“Sounds good to me,” Julius stated, as he and Nicole started heading in that direction, with Celeste and Allen soon to follow.

* * *

 

Once they arrived back at the apartment, there were no real debate on their activities, as the two couples simply nodded towards he other, before heading into Celeste’s and Nicole’s respective rooms.

They both knew that there would be no further exertions that evening, and Celeste effectively only managed to half slip out of her shirt before collapsing on the bed. Allen shook his head at the small coyote, and he immediately moved to help her get settled. As he did so, he began to slowly massage he abused muscles, and Celeste sighed contentedly. Her entire world reducing to just the two of them.

As her wolf’s paws worked their way over her body, she felt the last dregs of tension leave her. All that remained was the touch of his paws, and their scent intermingling in the air. Her exhaustion was all to real however, and it wasn’t long before she drifted off into sleep, only dimly aware of the moment when her love wrapped his arms around her. She was safe, and she was loved, and nothing else mattered as sleep claimed them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone,
> 
> For those of you who don't know me, I'm eng050599...there's a story behind it, but not a good one.
> 
> First of all, my thanks go out to Steve for inviting me into his world, and it has been a fun ride so far.
> 
> Back in 2016, I remember Steve leaving a review for Lost Causes and Broken Dreams over on FanFiction. 
> 
> "The Coyote Gal gave me a well-needed LOL"
> 
> Very succinct, and I suppose that it was a starting point for the two of us. When the idea hit Steve to have some cross pollination between our stories, it was blatantly obvious which characters needed to be the focus. 
> 
> Celeste Whitefoot, and Carol Latrans.
> 
> The two characters seemed to resonate with both our readers, and this also allows for some additional content that plays to our individual fortes. 
> 
> I'm not going to spoil the surprise for any of you, but I know that I have been having a blast going over ideas, scenes...and of course the science serving as the base for a lot of good story development. 
> 
> More chapters will be forthcoming, and I hope that you all enjoy the story, as it has been an honor to be a part of this.
> 
> One final note, and I make sure to do this any time that Lost Causes and Broken Dreams is brought up. 
> 
> That is my main narrative work, but it is not a story for everyone. Over the past year and a half, it has earned it's tragedy tags many times over. I have no problems admitting to being in tears when writing some of the more intense scenes.
> 
> I gave some hints in this chapter about the kind of work that goes on at the Honeywell Centre, but it barely scratches the surface. 
> 
> The impetus for the story was the...seemingly endless questions I was being asked over on Reddit regarding hybrids (I know, we all want funnies). When I described the most likely scenarios...well it wasn't a happy scene.
> 
> IRL, I'm a scientist, with a particular interest in molecular biology and comparative genomics, and I have tried to use the story as a vehicle to give some idea of how this aspect of medicine and research are performed. To help out with this, I also try to ensure that there are copious end notes (and the ever popular Science Time!), but if anyone has questions, just leave a comment, or send me a DM (on FF at least). 
> 
> I cannot promise to have all the answers, but I will make the attempt. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for giving this a read, and if you're interested in Lost Causes and Broken Dreams, it is both on AO3 and FanFiction (same user name for both sites).


	14. Celeste gets Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More 'fun' with eng050599 and I abusing our characters again.

Another routine patrol day with Jefferson and Whitefoot. The little Coyote girl was driving today, still learning the ins and outs of the city. Her Puma partner was scrutinizing their surroundings as he had an almost supernatural talent for spotting suspicious activity.

"So, how is the extra training going?" Referring to the advanced paw-to-paw combat training that the ZAF had allowed the ZPD to participate in.

Celeste gave a little whine. "I'm still a bit ambivalent about it. I know it will help me be more capable in various situations, but..." She sighed. "But I don't want to become a hammer that only sees every problem as a nail."

Jefferson chuckled at that. "Hardly a risk, Little One. You're too grounded to ever go brutal. Besides, the greatest warriors of legend were the gentlest in spirit." 

"So, I've become the Great Mistress of the Atlatl now?" She said in the Old Tongue. 

"Hah! Not with that accent." Whitefoot and Jefferson would exchange little scraps of Territories language and lore. She had only the slightest taste from her Uncle years ago and the Puma came from a different district and following, so they didn't have as much common ground as one might suppose. But they did what they could with what they did have, and like the wartime "Code Talkers", had their own private communication.

"Yeah. Carol has more vocabulary, but admits she isn't sure about the phonemes half the time." Celeste smiled. "I guess I'm sticking with the training as much to be around her and her boyfriend. He's a wolf too, and I'm learning more about Lupus/Latrans social stuff from them."

Jefferson glanced over at his partner. Though a bright young Pup, her unusual upbringing had neglected the typical social and cultural experiences of someone of her age and species. Fortunately, her new family within the ZPD was supportive, even protective. He certainly regarded her almost like a daughter himself; the age was right, old cat that he was.

And there was the matter of her Boyfriend, Alan Whitehorse. He was a particularly striking Wolf, as far as Jefferson's understanding of such matters went, and seemed a genuinely nice young Pup. But there were some social differences between the two breeds and the elder Coyote, Carol, was helping Celeste navigate some of those issues.

"That black SUV." A late model mid-size, some fancy trim and mirrored windows.

"Uhmm, almost like they're trying to get us to notice them. Think they want a chase?" For whatever reason, miscreants seemed to think that a high-speed chase was great sport, even with the prospect of ever increasing odds of getting caught and now rather severe penalties.

"I hope not." The big cat grumbled as he tapped on his data pad. "Wrong plates for the vehicle. Likely both stolen." He then called into dispatch to inform them of the situation, then, "Let's light them up and see what happens."

The errant machine didn't stop immediately, pulling off to a side street first, but then stopped.

"So good so far. Don't like the mirrored windows though."

Celeste approached the vehicle. Other than the mirrored windows and the dubious status, there wasn't anything else obviously amiss. The driver's side window buzzed down and she could see a wolf, then -

Jefferson had been approaching the vehicle from the other side, baton-sized flashlight in one paw, the other on the stunner on his belt. Damn, the windows were nearly opaque from the outside, some kind of quickie Mylar foil applique_. The flashlight would help determine if the foil was too opaque to be safe. The foolish things a mammal will do to look 'cool'.

The gunshot startled him for only a fraction of a second as he saw Whitefoot fall away from her side of the SUV.

Then everything became a slow-motion nightmare.

It took agonizing fractions of seconds to slap his communications panic button on his vest, while winding up for a blow with his flashlight to the passenger side window. But the vehicle was already lurching forward, and while he was able to bust the window, he also smashed his paw on the frame and could not really see who was inside, other than hearing a yelp that sounded like a wolf in the passenger seat getting a loose flashlight to the face.

Then the SUV was gone.

He scrambled over to Whitefoot while calling in the incident. She was curled up on her left side, shivering with pain. He saw a bit of bloody smear under her chin, and a growing pool of blood under her head. He ever so carefully raised her muzzle just a fraction to peer under. It was nasty looking.

The bullet had skimmed under her right jaw line then up and out of the lower left side of her face.

He ran back to the cruiser for the aid kit. "Repeat! Officer down with GSW. Suspect vehicle fled east bound on Blair. Driver armed with automatic pistol. Possibly wolf or wolves." He hoped their body cams got a better glimpse of who exactly did what. His nose and ears said wolf for now.

Then he was back and tended to Whitefoot. Getting her sitting upright, he could see that the bullet had broken and dislocated the left side of her jaw, as well as torn out her left cheek. With gauze pads, he cupped the bloody mess back into approximate place then wrapped it all up.

"It's messy, but not too bad, pup." He sat with her leaning into him for support, his arm around her for a touch of comfort. She nodded, and attempted a feeble pat on his arm.

Jefferson began an old chanted prayer that he was surprised that he remembered. Ancient words, the sort of thing more attributable to racial memory than active recital. It helped settle him through the shock of seeing his partner so injured, and to his great relief, her breathing slowed and synced to the cadence of it as well.

10101010

Winston and Whitehorse heard the ping for the Officer Down and Be On the Look Out notice. Whitehorse was driving today so it was Winston who read off the relevant information. "Black late model SUV, mirrored windows, with passenger side window missing. Plate ----. Two wolves, armed and dangerous."

As Winston read further, her ears pulled back and she glanced over to her partner before calling in. "Dispatch. Unit 217 requesting Hospital support."

There was a notable pause before Dispatch responded. "Unit 217 cleared for 10-44."

Whitehorse frowned and swiveled an ear towards Winston, but kept his eyes on the road. "So?"

"The officer down was Whitefoot. Non-critical GSW."

He let go a thin whine, but remained calm as he dealt with traffic. "Are you sure we can afford to take the break?"

"Stupid Boy!" the matronly Elk Cow snorted. "You're going to be useless with worry. And I wasn't about to not tell you."

"Thanks."

To his credit, the Wolf made his way across the city in an entirely safe and sane fashion, though he was stress-panting the whole time.

When they arrived, Winston gripped Whitehorse's arm. "Take a deep, slow breath, Alan. Freaking out isn't going to help Celeste."

"Yes Ma'am." He took a long whistling breath through his nose, and in that, realized he reeked of stress. And Winston had a can of Mask-All ready for him to use.

He had to let go a sad little chuckle. She was always one step ahead of anything he might do or need. They exchanged looks. His of gratitude, hers of sympathy. "Take care of your Pup, Pup." She gave him a pat and indicated she'd take care of the cruiser.

In trying to find her, Whitehorse found Jefferson and a Detective in a waiting area.

"They're patching her up now." And Jefferson offered him a hug. The wolf accepted, though cringed a bit at the scent of her blood on the Puma.

"What happened?"

"Stolen SUV with stolen plates. Stopped readily, then Whitefoot was shot as she approached the driver. I punched the passenger side window," He held up his bandaged paw. "Mirrored so I couldn't see, but they took off." There were two wolves in front."

"How bad?" the Wolf whispered.

"Messy but not in danger. The bullet caught her like." And Jefferson pointed with his paws the path.

Whitehorse groaned in grief. Through her face, her sweet little puppy face.

"The big thing will be her jaw reconstruction. The Docs said she ought to be as good as new in time, but they were talking about months, maybe. But she won't need to be wired shut. Just a mouthpiece to keep things aligned. She didn't lose any teeth, but it will be soft food for a good while."

Allan was not happy, and the matter-of-fact tone of the big Cat didn't help. He paced around the waiting area, hugging himself and flailing his arms in inarticulate emotion in turns.

Jefferson and the Detective, a Cheetah named Brooks, exchanged looks. Jefferson had warned Brooks about the relationship between the two young Canids before, and now seeing Whitehorse's reaction, the Detective scowled in disapproval. He leaned in to whisper, "This is why cops shouldn't get involved with each other." 

Jefferson shrugged. "Yet it's a thing that happens."

"Still isn't right." 

Jefferson regarded the other cat, wondering if it wasn't the two officers as officers that he was objecting to. Seeing the larger cat's angry tail twitch, the detective was anxious to get to business and began drilling Whitehorse about possible connections or associations that might have any motivation for the shooting. 

Like with Jefferson, there wasn't anything obvious, and the old Puma's hard eye kept the Cheetah on subject, least he editorialize. On the other paw, he was gratified to see the pup be able to collect himself and focus on the case, even after his initial shock. 

All too quickly the interview was over and the three had to simply wait for the doctors to do their thing. 

10101010

"Oh glob, how I hate domestics!" Julius wooshed, watching the distraught Opossums being lead off for separate transport back to the Precinct.

Nichole sadly nodded in agreement. They'd spent half the day trying to talk down two estranged parents in a fight over a court-approved visitation. It had been resolved without resorting to darts or stunners or paws-on force, but it had been an emotionally wrenching ordeal for everyone involved. Especially the little ones.

The four little Joeys were now incongruously clinging to the Antelope Social Worker who in turn was assisted by a small crowd of other Officers and Emergency Medical Technicians who were trying to console them.

"Let's get back to the precinct and call it a day." Nichole suggested. It was still a bit early, but they were both pretty well spent. They slumped back to their cruiser where they noticed some notifications waiting for them. First was a BOLO for a SUV with armed and dangerous suspects. Nichole read further as Julius got the cruiser ready to head out.

"Shit!" Nichole snapped and called in. "Unit 442, Wilde here! Clauhauser! Answer me!" Too much surprise from Hopps.

"Damnit! That BOLO was about someone who just shot Celeste at a traffic stop! Clauhauser!"

"Unit 422. Clawhauser's out. Kleinzahn here. We knew you were in a situation and didn't need the distraction. You're cleared to go check on her. She's over at Zootopia General."

"How bad?"

"Channel 8 for that." An encrypted frequency for secure communications, least media ghouls or more unfriendly ears were trying to listen. "I'm told it's not life-threatening but nasty. Be safe."

Julius growled to himself as he eased into traffic. Nichole braced for an explosive acceleration and was surprised to have the Rabbit go with the flow. "Julius?"

"We have a BOLO and nice and easy is the best way to do that." He grumbled back. Nichole nodded and the pair shared a tense quiet ride to the hospital. About the time they arrived there was an announcement that the SUV had been found, abandoned, but there was no additional information on the suspects.

They were relieved to find that the little coyote was already settled in a hospital room with several other officers, mostly from the Fourth, there for her. And there was Whitehorse, leaning over to ever so gently rub her ears with Jefferson sitting beside him, his arm supporting the bereaved wolf.

Poor girl. Half her head was wrapped in gauze, her mouth was filled with a wad of absorbent material and a small pan was beside her already half full of bloody product. She had multiple intravenous lines in her arms and thankfully silenced monitors tracing her vitals. Her eye were dull and unfocused due to the drugs she was likely full of at the moment as well.

However, seeing Nichole, Celeste let out a muffled little whine, which brought the new visitors into focus to the rest as well. Just little nods of recognition, as no one wanted to talk all that much, just be there in silent vigil.

Over the next hours or so, a few well-wishers came or left, still with little to be said. Then a Nurse came in to check on Celeste's condition, pointing out that she'd fallen asleep and if the fool Wolf fiddled with her ears or head much longer, he'd rub her hairless. And though she didn't say anything, gave Nichole a look for how she had been gripping Celeste's paw as well.

After some whispered debate, Whitehorse was going to over-night with Celeste, with Nichole and Jefferson ready to give him breaks as needed for the remaining time she was expected to remain in hospital. Thankfully, that was not expected to be very long, though the nature of her injuries meant she would be idled for a good while.

Out of the room, Nichole confronted Jefferson. "You okay?" Giving him a rather critical eye. She had not been on the force every long, but had enough life experience to know that having a trusted partner be caught like that could be devastating.

Jefferson gave her a bemused look and held up his injured paw. "The Docs say I'll be fine. Just superficial cuts and stuff."

The Vixen relaxed at that. The big Cat was known for his stoic meme, mostly, but those who knew him better could count on a subtle sense of humor too. 

"Seriously."

The Puma huffed. "I'm not all guilt -ridden or crushed in self-doubt. Just frustrated that I missed it and now can't really DO anything about it."

"Yeah." Nichole mused darkly. "The detective said that the stolen car had the mirror foil added after it was taken, so there is some concern that it was a targeted shooting."

"Must have been a random cop to kill act though. Whitefoot is too new and hasn't done any major busts to piss off some criminal gang or some such."

"With my joining the force, I drew any media attention away from her entry, so she's largely just another anonymous beast in blue."

"On the other paw, we seem to have a DNA sample of the passenger. So if we find suspects, we can get a positive ID." Julius added. "But where to start? There's only ten thousand or so wolves in or through the city at any one time and next to none are in the data base." Though the prey/predator ratio in the city was around ten to one, Zootopia had millions of citizens, so even small minorities still added up.

"What I'm worried about is the whys of it. Some kind of gang thing? If so, they're armed and really dangerous, if starting out with attempted murder of an officer, what else might they try?" Nichole looked at her Bunny Boy. Her early worries for his safety had receded, but now the idea of police being targeted brought her anxieties back.

Julius seemed to sense that, and gave her paw a little supportive squeeze.

Nichole cringed just a fraction. "Before, it was just you, but now it's everyone in blue." How that harkened back to her early heart-to-hearts with Bogo and how just wearing the badge made everyone a target. 

"Let's just hope it's just one gun and only some minor idiots." Julius suspected that, despite the drama of the attack, the perpetrators were more likely dangerous fools than dedicated terrorists or criminals, or at least that was his hope. Simply good police work could deal with the former, but he dreaded what might become necessary to combat the later. 

1010101010

The bullpen at the First was all a buzz with the shooting that next morning. Nichole and Julius were reticent to say too much beyond some small reassurances that White foot was going to be okay, waiting to see what the official word was going to be.

Bogo entered to a rather more subdued crowd in anticipation of serious news.

"As you all may have heard, one of our own out of the Fourth, Officer Whitefoot, was shot at what should have been a simple stolen vehicle stop. However, it appears that it was a deliberate attempt at a cop killing."

He let that sink in a moment before continuing. "She was hit, but only across the face, and is expected to make a full recovery." A sigh. "But it was only inches and milliseconds from a fatal injury."

"I'm not going to waste our time with the boilerplate lecture about safety and all that. But I do demand that you not be brave, in the sense of ignoring your gut to an iffy situation. Calling for back up for even the most routine situations should never be considered too wary, or even cowardly. If there are actors out there targeting us, they may well try to lure officers in for the most innocent of reasons."

"As for what we do know about them, there isn't much. The shooter was a Wolf, unidentified, and had a passenger accomplice, another Wolf. We have what seems to be good DNA on him, but he's not in the system. The gun, at least from the spent brass in the vehicle, was a 9mm automatic, possibly a Bruining."

"If any of you hear anything at all that might be helpful to the investigation, pass it on to Detective Post. He's the First's lead on this, working with the Fourth's unit."

Nichole oh so quietly hissed at that. When Julius gave her a querulous look, she indicated 'later'.

Bogo went on to mention Whitehorse was out, keeping an eye on Whitefoot for now, so Winston had to get shuffled. Clauhauser would coordinate times for anyone who wanted to visit Whitefoot. Then the rest of the morning briefing was relatively routine.

Once out of the bullpen, Julius asked Nichole. "What was that about Post? 

The Vixen growled. "Don't know what his malfunction might be, but that 'Yote has some kind of hate-on for me. My best guess is that he thinks I'm running some kind of long con with Bogo and the ZPD."

10101010

Allen found himself just staring at Celeste's gauze wrapped face, having reluctantly heeded the nurse's advice and avoiding too much contact with her. The young coyote had finally drifted off into a fitful sleep again when the last of their colleagues had left. He knew that everyone was both worried, and wanted to help, but seeing how it drained his love, he had breathed a sigh of relief when they had finally left. __

He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, and try to take away some of the pain...as well as the fear that his nose had been able to detect since he had first arrived. Not wanting to disturb her too much, he reached out and gently took her right paw in his own and just spent the next few minutes gazing at her sleeping face. Every time an errant movement caused her expression to tighten in pain, he wanted to somehow shoulder a small portion of this burden from her. . 

A flicker of movement from the suite's doorway pulled his gaze away from Celeste, and mentally he cursed having to deal with another visitor, but any comment he was about to make died in his throat when he saw a while wolf dressed in scrubs and a lab coat enter into the room. The doctor's eyes first looked towards Celeste's, making a quick assessment of her condition, before he nodded to himself and made his way over to where Allen was sitting.

Unlike so many of their colleagues, the wolf made no move to make Celeste aware of his presence, and instead he first reached out and rested a paw on Allen's shoulder, taking a moment to place a small package he had been carrying off to the side before crouching down so that the two were on the same level. 

"How are you holding up, Allen?" he said after a moment, his voice just above a whisper.

Even given the situation, Allen had to chuckle at the older wolf's priorities, and he couldn't help but notice the way the doctor's nose twitched as he spoke. He knew that the physician's focus was not a random thing, and the wolf had obviously picked up on his distress. He and Celeste had only known Carol's mate for a few weeks now, but right from the first moment they had met, it had been obvious that Dave was a healer through and through.

Even though it was Celeste who had been injured, the events had taken their toll on him as well. The fact that Dave was able to notice it so quickly, spoke volumes about just how deeply seeing Celeste being hurt affected him.

"About as well as I can," he replied with a shrug, not really knowing the answer to the question himself. "I want to be able to help, but something like this?" he shook his head and stared at the sleeping Celeste for a moment longer. 

Dave nodded in understanding, "You're doing exactly what you need to do, Allen." He motioned towards Celeste's bed and then to the room as a whole. "The mammals here are going to move Heaven and Earth to help her physically, but you're the one that's going to need to help her up here." To punctuate his point, the physician tapped the side of his head with a claw tip. "That's going to be a job for all her friends...and her family."

Allen cocked his head to the side in confusion at the wolf's choice of words, but at the moment, it wasn't anything of import. After a moment, he sighed and tiredly rubbed a paw across his eyes. It was then that he realized something was missing, and he looked back towards Dave with another confused expression on his face. "Isn't Carol with you?" he asked, genuinely surprised that the coyote hadn't stopped by if her mate was going to visit.

Dave allowed himself a quiet laugh and shook his head, "No, she'll probably come by tomorrow, but me being here tonight was at least partially to keep her away for a little bit."

Allen's confusion must have been visible on his face, as Dave smiled and shook his head at the younger wolf. "Right now, Celeste needs rest far more than she needs another visitor," Dave held up his paws in a placating gesture, before tapping the monogram on his lab coat where the "Dr." prefix was plainly evident, "Carol finally was forced to concede that I miiiigh know what I'm talking about here, but she did make me promise to give her a full 'briefing' as soon as I make it home. When it comes to her students; well, for being a certifiable hard ass, she worries all the time." 

He looked back over to where Celeste lay, and his ears pinned back slightly as he thought about the events that had lead up to this. He knew Carol would take it as a persona failure, but there was very little that any mammal could do. Rather than launching into a lecture, Dave returned his gaze to the young wolf, just in time to see the ZPD officer shake his head ruefully at his actions. 

Allen had fight the urge to roll his eyes as he took in both Dave's reaction and Carole's...well...paradoxical antics, having seen the collection of bruises that Celeste invariably sported after surviving another training session. As he shook his head at Dave, there was a very real smile on his muzzle.

"Thanks for that," he said, and Dave nodded before his ears perked up, and he raised a digit towards Allen.

"I just remembered one thing for you two," he said and retrieved the package, handing it over to Allen, who examined it briefly.

"It's...a towel?" he asked, his head cocking to the side in confusion, "Unless the answer is forty two, I'm kinda at a loss here." 

The older wolf couldn't help but laugh at the confusion evident in Allen's voice. "It is a towel," Dave said after a moment, "Take a second to mark that with your scent. Trust me on this one." Allen was still unsure what the purpose of this was, but he dutifully worked the cloth over his face, allowing it to take on some of his own scent. After passing the towel back to Dave, Allen shrugged his shoulders, and waited for the white wolf to fill him in on the reason for all of this. Dave simply gave the younger wolf a wink before taking a moment to quietly move closer to Celeste's bed, placing the towel next to the sleeping coyote without waking her. Once he was certain that he hadn't disturbed the young officer, he returned to Allen's side.

Even under these trying times, there was still a sense of calm kindness that the physician radiated, and Allen simply waited for the older wolf to fill him in on the significance. Not wanting to torture the youngster, Dave chuckled to himself before motioning between himself and Allen, as if to make a point. "Wolves and coyotes; we share a lot of traits with each other, but we are still different species," he began, working to ensure that his voice was just loud enough to be heard without disturbing Celeste. 

"For wolves, we have out pair bonds, and compared to some mammals, they are very strong, but we also tend to have wider networks of friends and family...it's just how the pack mentality worked its way into our modern lives." Dave shrugged and focused his gaze on Allen, "This type of thing is never a hard and fast rule, and even after being with Carol for a few years now, I'm still surprised at the little things that crop up." Dave took a moment to look at the younger wolf and motioned towards Celeste with his head before continuing, "For coyotes, that pair bond is almost always the most important thing."

As if to emphasize Dave's point, there was a small sound from Celeste as the two males conversed, and they both looked towards their charge. The change in her posture was a small thing. Nothing more than a simple tilt of her head, but in doing so, she had brought the towel that much closer to it, and as the two males looked on, one of her paws wrapped around the fabric, and strove to bring it even closer to her sleeping form. Seeing the young coyote react to the familiar scent, Dave raised a paw and motioned for Allen and him to move further away.

Both males continued to watch as the visible portions of Celeste's face relaxed slightly as true sleep claimed her. Dave gave a small sigh, and looked over to Allen, seeing that the young officer's attention was very much fixated on his mate. "There is no rulebook for this kind of stuff," Dave said after a moment, and Allen looked at the physician, now only too aware of how such a simple act could help, "but the bond that you two have, just know that when either of you need it, that connection will help pull both of you out of the fire. Quite simply, she is your family now, probably more so than any other mammal out there."

Allen eyes widened as he processed what Dave was saying. His knee-jerk reaction was to deny that this was the case; the two of them only having been together for a relatively short period of time. Even as the thoughts formed, he knew them to be a lie, and once again he had to laugh at the...now blatantly obvious signs that he had missed over the past while. His own upbringing was... well, somewhat of a mess, but he did remember something from his youth. 

By and large, mammals in Zootopia simply went with some kind of bonding ceremony, in accordance with their own beliefs, but for a lot of canines, it was even simpler than that. There was a truly ancient tradition to still held sway to this day in more traditional wolf families. Although he had never personally placed a lot of weight behind it, and given his family life...well, maintaining ancient traditions had never been a priority. __He knew that, as opposed to the lavish celebrations that were commonly held with other species, the wolf bonding ceremony was a simple thing. The two declared themselves as mates from that day forward, and that could be the sum total of the event. 

Some packs added on the exchange of gifts or the like, and Allen knew the basics, but it wasn't something he had devoted any effort into understanding. The only constant that he was aware of was that, the two mammals made vows to each other...and nothing else mattered.

Dave watched as Allen considered his words, and the white wolf smiled when Allen's expression transitioned between confusion, and surprise. The young wolf gave a small laugh before rubbing his eyes tiredly. His eyes first sought out Celeste, and now that it had been pointed out just how close they had become, there was no denying the truth. He looked back to Dave, and the older wolf had a very real smile on his muzzle. 

Once Dave noticed that Allen had come to terms with the...revelation he supposed, he retrieved a half empty cup of coffee from the small side table in the room. Giving is a quick sniff; he cringed slightly but still offered the drink to the young officer. Allen took the cup, and downed the tepid liquid almost without tasting it, and he looked towards Dave. "Thanks for that...and for being here, I guess." he said, still trying to think of what the next steps would be for Celeste and he.

The older wolf gave him a small laugh, and motioned towards the empty cup. "Don't thank me for that. We've used that stuff to peel paint at times...or when we need to sterilize equipment in a hurry."

Even given the current situation, Allen couldn't help but smile at the joke. "Same thing over at Precinct One," he said, and for just an instant, his words were colored with something other than worry. "Paint stripper, industrial cleaner, and up to fifty percent of a patrolmammal's blood."

Dave held up a paw and pointed out the window, "I am swearing you to secrecy on this one, Allen," he said sternly, but the severity of his tone was betrayed by the twinkle of amusement still present in his gaze. "Right next door is the Honeywell Centre...and we have much better coffee...and food in general." Dave took a moment to look towards the Honeywell Centre, and Allen noted that the older wolf's ears begin pinning back before the physician managed to regain control. Allen still didn't have a complete grasp on what the white wolf's duties were at the clinic, but he wasn't foolish enough to try and downplay the effect that it had on the older canine. From Delgato's description of the Centre, combined with Carol's reaction whenever it was motioned, said all that was needed. 

The display lasted for only a second before a smile returned to Dave's muzzle and he looked back towards Allen. "Fair warning to you," he said once again motioning towards the Honeywell Centre with one paw. "The normal coffee and snacks, you and the other ZPD officers are free to have as much as you like, but you will see a container liberally marked with biohazard symbols, as well as the name 'Laura' on every visible surface. Do not touch it!"

The white wolf paused for a second, and Allen was somewhat surprised to detect some apprehension in Dave's voice. The physician met Allen's gaze, and shook his head at the younger wolf, "If you do, no one. Not Carol, not me, not anyone of the staff with be able to save you." The seriousness of his tone didn't last long before he shrugged, "I'll let reception know that we might be getting some visitors in the near future."__

Allen nodded, acknowledging the offer...and from the bitter taste he could still sense from the previous cup, it was something that he would be taking advantage of in the near future. The younger wolf cocked his head to the side as another thought occurred to him, and he gestured towards Celeste, "The towel trick," he began slowly, trying to find the right way to broach the subject of...more traditional canine culture. "Was that something you covered in med school, or just things you picked up over the years?"

Dave considered the question briefly before replying, "There was some formal training, both in college, as well as during my residencies," the white wolf shrugged to emphasize the tenuous connection, "but that had more to do with recognizing mammals in distress." He tapped the side of his nose, and made an exaggerated show of sniffing the air, "Of course, this can tell you more about a mammal's state of mind than anything else really. It's how I made the family connection between Celeste and you the instant I walked through the door. Your secret's safe with me, just so you know."

He gave a small chuckle and winked towards Allen before continuing, "Apart from that, the little things, like the towel trick, that was just part of Carol and I learning about each other, more than anything else. Everything else is just stuff that was passed down over the years. You know, the whole 'Part of the Pack', mentality." As he spoke, the white wolf pantomimed quotation marks in the air. Allen ears pulled slightly back, and he shrugged before looking away from the other wolf. 

Dave's head cocked to the side as his curiosity was piqued. Allen caught the gesture and gave a small sigh, not wanting to go too far down this road. Dave didn't say a word, and just waited for Allen to broach the subject. The patrolmammal's expression telling him that this neither a happy subject, nor one that he particularly wanted to share.

The indecision only lasted for a pawful of seconds, and Allen gave a resigned sigh, rubbing a paw across his eyes, as the weight of the day became more apparent. Looking back towards the older wolf, Allen thought about how to explain his situation. After a moment's consideration he just shrugged. "I didn't really have that kind of family life growing up, and heck most of the "wolf culture" bits I do know, I either picked up from movies, or from the few canine friends I had growing up."

Dave nodded his head in understanding, "Thank you for telling me, Allen, and you have my apologies for making assumptions." The older wolf cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed, as he looked Allen over. "I'm a bit surprised that Wolford or Grizzoli didn't jump at the chance to take you under their wing as it were," Dave laughed and shook his head before continuing, "Well, Wolford at least. You and Grizzoli are of the similar vintage. Both of them came from traditional wolf families, and they'd probably want to induct you into pack culture...vigorously."

Allen had to laugh at Dave's comment, and a smile managed to make its way back on to his muzzle. "I think they tried, Dave." he said after a moment, "I just thought they wanted to do the old 'haze the new mammal' kind of thing, and kept putting it off." He thought back to the various outings that he had been invited to take part of, "This does explain why those two had such confused expressions on their faces."

"If you like," Dave began, motioning between Allen and himself, "Consider this as a second chance of sorts." The older wolf made a show of rolling his eyes in mock derision, "I'm gonna be honest, probably fifty to sixty percent of wolf culture can be summed up as 'Grab your packmates, get sloshed, and then engage in some kind of incredibly stupid act to show your strength.'"

Allen had to laugh at the admission, and Dave gave a mental sigh of relief at the change in both Allen's emotions, as well as his scent. "Fortunately for you," he stated once the patrolmammal regained some of his composure, "I do happen to know that there's significant overlap between some wolf culture events, and the usual...recreational activities of the ZPD and the ZAF."

The physician gave Allen a quick wink; "I'd wager that you've already taken the first few steps already. You might not have recognized them, but that's probably how the other Wolves at Precinct One interpreted it."

Allen shook his head, as he went over the various events that he'd been involved with...voluntarily or not, "That does help to explain why Ivan constantly tries to start a howl once we got to the pub."

Dave rolled his eyes and groaned, "Tell me about it," he said, and Allen caught the older wolf absently rubbing his side. When Dave noticed where Allen's focus was he gave a sheepish laugh before releasing his side. "Carol, is not a fan of the howl, and tends to take extreme measures when I get drawn into one."

Allen winced at the thought, having seen the bruises that Celeste accrued during training. Fortunately, Dave waved away any comment, but did shift his gaze to Celeste's sleeping form. "There are some traditions that you might want to look into, Whitehorse," he began, and Allen could hear...longing in the tone? "Both wolves and coyotes have very old tales, and even things that are best thought of as legends. I think that they are the real treasure for both of our species."

Hearing the older wolf's words, Allen's ears perked up, genuinely interested it the topic. Before he could enquire, the fatigue that he had felt building, finally became more than he could ignore, and a large yawn signaled his condition to Dave who simply laughed before placing a paw on Allen's shoulder.

"Why don't you go and get some rest," he said as he drew a tablet out of his coat pocket, holding it up with a resigned sigh, "Paperwork never ends, and I can stick around until the next ZPD mammal shows up. Unless I miss my guess, Celeste won't be waking up for a few hours at least."

Allen considered the offer, and checked his watch before nodding. "Uhhh, thanks for that, Dave. Patrolmammal Jefferson should be here in a half hour or so. He's a pretty big puma, so you won't miss him." He paused for a moment before looking over at his mate. "He's also Celeste's partner, so this is pretty personal for both of us."

The younger wolf allowed his gaze to linger on Celeste's bandaged face, and he gave himself a shake before looking back at Dave. "Seriously though, how does this all look?"

Dave nodded in understanding, and fortunately he had come prepared for this type of question. "This really isn't as bad as it looks, I'm glad to say."

He opened up a document on the tablet and turned it so that the two of them could see the screen. The image was a rough approximation of a coyote's skull, and the physician pointed towards the left side of image. "The jaw repair is relatively easy, and if Celeste were my patient, I have the support scaffold in place early tomorrow. It just needs time to heal." 

The older wolf's smile shifted into something more...predatory as he switched to another set of images showing a wolf's jaw in the midst of being repaired. There was a single metal brace tracing along the jawbone, giving some support to the bone, and taking some of the stress off of the damaged bone itself.

"I'll see if I can pull some strings, but in this case, there's some new techniques that will make her recovery a bit quicker," Dave added, pointing out the almost organic looking mesh that was held in place over the damaged bone. Seeing Allen's eyes widen, Dave shook his head, but the smile on his muzzle was very real, "This isn't magic though, and she's probably looking at four to six weeks for the worst of it to heal, but everything should be back to normal in a total of two months."

Allen nodded but sighed at the time frame involved. "I guess it's better than I hoped, but yeah, it's still going to take time."

Dave turned off the tablet and once again placed a paw on the younger wolf's shoulder. "The surgeries to repair her cheek will be an ongoing thing, but with the right surgeon," Dave paused and when Allen met his gaze, they could see the...protective instincts that projected from both of them, "...and I fully intend on ensuring that she see the best mammal for the job. The scarring will probably be minimal."__

Allen released a breath that he had been subconsciously holding in before nodding. "I know it's going to be a long while for her to heal...and Spirits I wish there was a way to do more."__

His voice trailed off, and Dave gave his shoulder another shake. "Don't forget that she has a lot of mammals pulling for her." 

The white wolf then lightly began ushering Allen out of the room, only pausing so that he could spend a few more moments with Celeste. Once the two of them were outside the room, Dave retrieved a card from one of his pockets, and handed it over to Allen. "That's our home number. You have questions, any time and any kind, just call."_

Allen managed to smile as he pocketed the information, and offered his paw to the older wolf. "Thanks for stopping by," he stated, releasing Dave's paw and giving him a mock salute before making his way out of the hospital. He would have been lying if there wasn't a very real part of him that wanted nothing more than to wrap Celeste in his arms and never let her go, but the doctor had been right, and he would be useless to Celeste, and to the ZPD if he didn't get some rest soon. "After all," he mused internally, as an uncharacteristic growl tried to escape from his throat. "There are some mammals that need to be tracked down and locked away for a very, very long time."

The white wolf sighed in resignation as he completed yet another patient's file. Today had almost been a standard one for him and the rest of the staff at the Honeywell Centre, but standard there meant that all he had accomplished was to crush the dreams of another set of would-be parents. __

Fortunately, the day hadn't been a total loss however, and he smiled when he looked through the next patient's chart. This was a little one that they had managed to save, and the kit had responded well to gene therapy in order to replace the mutated terc gene, that was a major contributor to her canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Even before her birth, she had undergone treatment in utero by his own paws. 

Closing his eyes for a moment, his ears twitched as he thought of the scene from the delivery room from that morning. Even though the event should have been a common one for him; given his position as an OBGYN and pediatric surgeon at the Honeywell Centre; its delivery rooms were rarely used for their intended purpose. __

Today had been different, and when he had heard the first squeaking cry emerge from the newborn he held in his paws, the smiles of every mammal in the room were plainly evident, even under their muzzle masks. He allowed himself to exist within that memory for a moment longer. As he placed the crying kit into the arms of her mother, he hadn't even tried to mask the joy he felt. Seeing the parents welcome their new daughter into this world, was an image he would treasure for a long time to come.

A sound from the suite's door drew him out of the memory, and he looked over to see a brown rabbit doe in a clean set of scrubs enter into the room, her attention fixated on the chart she held in her paws. He recognized the nurse from the occasions where he'd be asked to perform a procedure at Zootopia General, or provide a second opinion when the situation demanded it. He and the other physicians at the Honeywell Centre all had full hospital privileges, even if they were only needed once in a blue moon...and most of the ZG's staff much preferring to make use of the Centre's equipment and supplies when they could.

Initially, the nurse didn't even notice him, and started making her way over to Celeste. Not wanting to startle the rabbit, Dave tapped his claws against the surface of small table.

The nurse's ears shot up at the sound and she quickly looked over to the table where Dave was seating. She gazed at him warily for a moment, but then her eyes widened in recognition. "Doctor Hawthorne!" she began, `working to keep her voice low, so as not to disturb the sleeping coyote. "What are you doing over here? I didn't see your name on the duty roster for tonight."

Dave's smile was completely genuine as he considered the smaller mammal. "It's Nurse Hazel, isn't it?" he inquired, not fully trusting that he had all the details committed to memory. He motioned towards Celeste with his head, "Officer Whitefoot is a student of my mate's, as well as being a personal friend for both of us." The wolf gave a shrug as he took a moment to once again go over the coyote's injuries in his mind. "Whatever I can do to make this easier on her and her colleagues, I intend to do."

The rabbit nodded in understanding, before taking a moment to check over the IV fluids. "She's scheduled for the first part of the jaw reconstruction tomorrow morning I think," the doe added, quickly retrieving a tablet from its place beside Celeste's bed. After scrolling through the information she nodded to herself, and looked back towards Dave. "It looks like Doctor Packard, is currently scheduled to handle the jaw repair."

Dave gave a brief sigh of relief, at the news. He was well familiar with Amanda Packard's skills, having needed the golden jackal's assistance as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, when the deformities of a cub were beyond his own capabilities to repair. He was also silently grateful that she had been one of the pioneers of the scaffold assisted jaw reconstruction, and he was certain that if she didn't opt to make use of it, there would be a damn good reason why.

"Good to hear," he said after a moment, making a quick note on his own tablet. "I'll check in with her first thing tomorrow, but I know officer Whitefoot is in good paws with her." Looking towards the nurse, he cocked his head to the side questioningly. "Who's been tapped to handle the facial reconstruction?" he asked.

The rabbit's expression fell, and both her ears drooped behind her as she heard the question. She briefly glanced back down at the tablet in her paws, before taking a hesitant step towards the suite's door. "I'm not one hundred percent sure," she said, her voice uncertain, and Dave rolled his eyes.

"I'm not looking to get you in trouble, Jenene," he said simply, having remembered the rabbit's first name, "All I care about is making sure she," he added, pointing towards the sleeping coyote, "gets the best treatment there is. I already know I'm not going to like the answer, but just give me the name. I promise to make sure yours is never brought up." He took a moment to stand up and raise his right paw into the air; his first two digits extended while his left paw moved to cover his heart, "Ranger Scout's honor."__

Jenene gave a snort of laughter while rolling her eyes at the wolf, "Doctor Edwards requested to take charge of the facial reconstruction."__

Dave simply closed his eyes as he took in the news. After taking a calming breath, he positioned his right paw just below the level of his waist. "You're referring to Rick Edwards, correct? Porcupine, about yea tall? Quite possibly the most mediocre surgeon to ever obtain a senior position at Zootopia University?"__

Nurse Hazel winced at Dave's choice of descriptors, but she had to agree with the physician. "No comment on the more...inflammatory descriptors, but yes, that's him."__

After another sigh, Dave rubbed his eyes before finally opening them and looking towards Jenene. "Thank you for the information, and Doctor Edwards will be operating on Officer Whitefoot over my dead body...or his. Either option works for me." __Dave was already reaching for his phone when he motioned towards the door with his head, "Thank you again, Jenene. If you want to maintain some plausible deniability, you might want to take a short walk," he looked over at the wall-mounted clock, "I think ten minutes should do."__

Jenene laughed at the wolf, but started towards the door. "I do feel like a walk would do me some good. Everything with Miss Whitefoot seems on the up and up, and I have the strangest feeling that she'll be receiving the best care that we can offer."__

Dave smile showed too many teeth to be truly non-threatening, but the rabbit knew that the display was not meant for her. As she left the room, she immediately retrieved her phone, and fired off a quick text message. "Does anyone know when Pokey was going to be coming in tomorrow morning?"__

A reply was almost instant, and Jenene saw that Josh, another rabbit nurse had been the first to reply. "Doctor Edwards? He's booked in for surgery at 9:15, so he should be in for around 8-ish."__

The doe smiled at the information, and she quickly sent off another text, "We might want to make sure that he isn't able to duck into an office when he arrives." As she sauntered down the hall, the plans were already in motion to ensure that Doctor Edwards' misfortune would be well witnessed.

Back in Celeste's room, Dave had wasted no time in calling an old colleague to see what could be done about Celeste's treatment. He tapped a hind paw impatiently while the phone buzzed in his ear, before the call connected. __

"Doctor White speaking," a female voice came through the line, and Dave smiled when he recognized the slight Slavic accent that colored her words.

"Hello, Danika, it's Dave Hawthorne," he stated simply, knowing that the Eurasian wolf would already have her interest piqued simply by his calling.

He was not left waiting for long, as a quiet chuckle could be heard quite clearly, "Dave, good to hear from you. So how life or death is the situation this time?" __

"I don't only call when I need something, Dana," he said in an amused voice, reverting to the less formal form of her name, "...more like ninety five percent of the time, but yes, I do need your help here. You still have full privileges at Zootopia General, right?"__

Dave could clearly hear the rustling of paper over the line, "You always have the most interesting cases, so I'm willing to give you some slack, and yes, I'm still in the system."

"This one isn't quite as...unique as some of the previous ones I've given you," He took a moment to look over towards Celeste, "Did you hear about the shooting from earlier today?" he asked, not entirely aware of how far the news had spread.

"Hmmm, I read about something," Dana stated after giving it some thought, "There weren't any specifics provided...let me guess, somehow, you're neck deep in this?"

"As always," he replied, and he heard an exasperated sigh from Dana, but she made no other attempt to interrupt him, "The victim, a female coyote and patrolmammal with the ZPD, suffered a single GSW to the face. The bullet entered just below the right mandible, on an upward trajectory, exiting out of the left cheek at the fourth premolar. The impact resulted in a stress fracture to the mandible, and the left zygomatic arch." Dave paused, to allow Dana a chance to get all the details. 

"That doesn't sound too bad," she stated after a moment. "I can imagine that the soft tissue damage is going to be nasty, but it's nowhere near critical..." her voice drifted away to nothing as she considered Dave's motivations for bringing her in on the case.

Dave didn't bother to conceal his motivations, "Well, she is one of Carol's students, so even if it's only for self-preservation, I want to make sure she gets the best treatment," He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "But the real reason is that, I just found out that Rick pulled rank, and took over the facial reconstruction."

Dave was forced to move the phone away from his ear, as a blistering string of, what he assumed were rather colorful descriptors for Doctor Edwards, "Taj arogantan, jebeni idiot. Nije mogao naci dupe s obje öape i kartu." He had no idea what Dana was saying, but a sudden crash and the sound of broken glass had both his ears standing on end.

"Dana, are you okay?" he asked cautiously, while he listened for any signal from the plastic surgeon. 

There was some additional rustling noises followed by a slow sigh before Dana's voice "I'm fine." There was the faintest rumbling of a growl in her voice, but Dave was just relieved that, although apparently livid, Dana was physically fine. "Please tell me that idiot isn't going to be handling the jaw reconstruction?"

Dave laughed at the question, but was quick to assuage the other physician, "Fortunately not. They've given that task over to Doctor Packard."

"Amanda's handling it?" Dana asked, the undertone of menace that had colored her earlier words abated once she knew that Celeste would have competent care. "Good, I'll reach out to her ASAP, and make sure that we're working in concert...and also play my trump card on Rick...bezvrijedan grumen trulog mesa!"__

The final words were barely above a whisper, but even without knowing the specifics, Dave could only smile at the...vehemence of Dana's dislike of Doctor Rick Edwards. Both he and Dana had experienced the dubious honor of having studied under the porcupine as part of their residency training. Quite frankly, he was the laziest physician Dave had ever met, only ever doing the minimum required to treat his patients. __

He had been able to escape after only a few months, plastic surgery being about as far from his personal interest as one could get, but Dana...she had to deal with him for almost 3 whole years. It was only when Dana made it a habit to approach Rick's patients and offer to repair the porcupine's minimal work that things had finally come to a head.

Apparently the dean had been quite blunt when Dr. Edwards had lodged a formal complaint. Indicating that the fact that Rick was a tenured professor was the only reason he wasn't sent packing. __...Some lingering animosity between the two miiight still be present. __

"Okay, Dave," she stated simply. "I've got this handled, and I'll let you know how the officer does sometime tomorrow."__

"Thanks for that, Dana," Dave said before giving a sigh of relief, knowing that Celeste would now very much be having the pest paws in Zootopia working on her behalf. "Look, if Officer Whitefoot needs any special equipment or treatment that the ZPD or government won't cover, please let me know."__

Dana gave a small laugh at Dave's words, "You never change, Ti Glupi Vuk. There shouldn't be any real problems unless the nerve damage is worse than you've indicated, but I'll let you know if the coffers of the Honeywell Trust can make a difference." There was another rustling of papers, as Dana reorganized herself, "I'll be in touch, be safe!"

Dave didn't even have a chance to say goodbye himself before the call disconnected. Shaking his head, he moved to Celeste's side, and looked over the poor coyote's face. The dressings were still clean, and he was glad to note, that the phone call hadn't disturbed her. A rustling from the door, made him look up to see a rather large puma enter into the suite, wearing a ZPD uniform. Dave also noticed the fresh dressings on the puma's paw, and could guess that they had either been earned in the same incident that had injured Celeste...or from when the officer had punched a wall in frustration...which happened more often than it should.

The big cat had a wary expression on his muzzle, and Dave took the opportunity to step away from the bed and head over to introduce himself. "You must be patrolmammal Jefferson?" he stated simply, offering the big cat his paw in greeting. "I'm Doctor Dave Hawthorne, Carol Latrans' mate." 

The puma's eyes widened slightly in realization, but his face remained utterly impassive, but he did reach out and shook Dave's paw, nodding his head in greeting. "Tahoma Jefferson, ZPD Precinct 4." the officer's words didn't betray his emotions. "I was expecting Allen to still be here," he said, his nose twitching slightly as he took in the various scents in the room. Underneath, the disinfectants, and the scent of many strangers, Allen's scent could be clearly made out, and Jefferson estimated that he had probably left fairly recently. He released the doctor's paw, and the white wolf motioned with his head over to the side of the room, where a small (at least for him) table was located. 

"Allen needed to get some rest, so I offered to keep an eye on Celeste until you arrived." Dave turned back to face the puma, and he examined the officer for a moment, wondering how long the big cat had been awake for given the day's events. 

Jefferson considered Dave's scrutiny for a moment, making a dismissive gesture with his uninjured paw before looking back towards Celeste. "The two of them are strong," he stated simply as if just by making the pronouncement the strands of fate would heed his call. He looked back at Dave before speaking again, "Thank you for looking out for them, both of them."

"It's going to be a long road, but I know the mammals here, and she's in good paws," Dave nodded, and motioned towards the puma's bandaged paw, "On that note, would you like me to take a look at that before I leave?" he asked, unsure about the degree of injury, or the level of care that Jefferson had received to date.

The puma just shook his head, "It's nothing," was all he said, as he moved over to Celeste's bedside. He didn't reach out to touch her though, and he simply held his paw over her bandaged face. When he spoke, the words were quiet, "Han·lyi¥i¥h y·zhÌ adeezhÌ. NÌlch'i dooleel n·'oolkilÌ danihÌ." The words were unfamiliar to Dave, but he had heard something similar from both Carol and her mother. 

"Was that the old tongue?" he asked, somewhat hesitant to interrupt the puma's vigil. 

There might have been the beginnings of a smile on Jefferson's muzzle, before his face reverted to its standard stoicism. He nodded, towards the wolf, before pulling a chair closer, so that he could maintain his vigil. "You know of it?" he asked, once he was settled. The curiosity was plain on his voice, as his interactions with most of the mammals in Zootopia showing varying degree of ignorance of the old ways.

Dave nodded in reply, "Not a lot, but Carol or her mother sometimes uses a word or two." He chuckled slightly before continuing, "Given the...situations they were involved in at the time, they probably were not too friendly.

Jefferson nodded, and watched as the wolf's expression became more contemplative. "There was one other bit," Dave started, unsteadily, "a song of some kind I think." The physician closed his eyes and thought back to the moment when he had heard Carol's mother quietly singing the song. His voice was hesitant, but he tried his best to remember the sounds.

"Ahala ahalaso naahsha gha!"

"Shi naahsha gha..."

His voice trailed off as his memory of the words reached its end, and he was somewhat surprised to hear a quiet chuckle from Jefferson. Opening his eyes, he saw that the puma had obviously found his performance more amusing than insulting, and was working to maintain his composure. The puma's expression didn't revert to its normal stoic state, and there was a surprising warmth in his gaze.

"Shi Naasha," he stated simply, easily able to identify the song...even though the wolf's pronunciation was...well awful, but the fact that he made the attempt was more than what most mammals would try. "It's is a lullaby, mainly..." he paused for a moment, and once again had to fight the urge to laugh, "and it's normally sung by females trying to get their cubs to sleep."

Dave couldn't help but laugh at the explanation, and he shrugged before retrieving another business card from his pocket before handing it over to Tahoma. "That's my home number," he stated pointing to the relevant information. "If you, Celeste, or Allen need anything, just call."

He once again looked over at Celeste, "She's going to be in and out of surgery for the next while, but it's good to see just how many mammals are in her corner."

Jefferson nodded politely, "Thank you for your help, Doctor." he paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on Celeste, "I'd like to spend some time with my partner, if that's alright." Dave nodded in understanding, hearing the worried undertone that colored the puma's words, but understanding that the patrolmammal needed some private time.

After the white wolf left the room, Jefferson rolled his eyes at the memory of the wolf's impromptu performance. 

"Well adeezhÌ," he said simply, looking at his partner, "we found a mammal with worse pronunciation that you." At that point, the puma just sat there in silence, watching Celeste sleep. His expression was unreadable, but an observant mammal would notice that his bandaged paw was clenched so tightly that it shook.

 

As much as he wanted to stay by his beloved's side, getting up and out was a grudging necessity. Allan tried to relax and stretch as he walked down the street, grateful that Dave had stopped by, and in doing so had given him the opportunity to stretch his legs. He had to smile at the impulse to resent the perfectly normal day around him while he had to deal with such tragic crisis.

But Nichole and Jefferson, and by extension, Julius and the combined First and Fourth Precincts were on hand for support and Celeste, and him, were in good paws. Now he needed to take care of himself and prepare for Celeste's home coming. Groceries and housekeeping were the goals for the day.

10101010

A wolf was coming up from the opposite direction. Typically, as strangers, they'd simply exchange a nod of recognition. The idea that they would also exchange sniffs was more a comedic stereotype than truth. As Allen was concentrating on other things, he wasn't putting too much thought into the other's approach, but just as they passed each other, Allen's fur stood on end as something about to other wolf set off every survival instinct he possessed. Before he even had a chance to begin processing the feeling, he heard the other wolf's foot pivot.

Not knowing exactly what the wolf was planning, Allen spun counterclockwise, and swept his left arm out, his digits pointing upward and ramrod straight. He was gambling on the other canine being right-paw dominant, and he silently hoped that this was the case.

As the stranger came back into view, Allen quickly processed the situation, and took immediate notice of the pistol that his attacker was starting to aim in his direction. His gamble had paid off however, and his left paw struck his attacker's wrist, before his assailant could draw a bead on him. The impact knocked the firearm to the side, but it also caused the wolf to fire off a single round. 

The report of the weapon was deafening, even in the open environment of the quiet street. Allen winced as his sensitive ears rang in the aftermath, but his training at the academy had taught him what to expect, and he worked past the discomfort. His opponent was not so disciplined, and the other wolf visibly flinched as the pistol discharged. 

Allen made good use of the momentary distraction, and deftly grasped onto the other wolf's wrist in order to maintain control of the weapon. The other Wolf was about his size, but was entirely lacking in his agile athleticism, something that became more obvious when his attacker stumbled backwards, having lost his footing on the uneven pavement. Allen followed the wolf down to the ground, maintaining a constant grip on the paw holding the pistol, while at the same time striking the wolf's right elbow with his own right limb, forcing it to bend, and allowing him to position the pistol so that it was no longer aiming anywhere near him...but was also positioned quite close to the other wolf's ears.

Subconsciously, he knew that, while there were no other mammals on the street, they could arrive at any moment. The rarity of firearms in Zootopia meant that, rather than running away at the sound of a gunshot, many mammals would move towards the disturbance as curiosity got the better of them. Although he was confident that he could handle the wolf, this needed to end quickly.

He made the decision in an instant, and before his attacker could make a move to try and escape his grasp, he jammed his right paw into the trigger guard, while at the same time, tried to pin his ears as far back as they could go.

Once again, the pistol discharged, and even having prepared for the blast, the pain in his ears was immense. He was still able to hear the sound of the bullet ricochet off the pavement, but his attention was fully invested in the condition of his attacker...The effect it had on him was on another level entirely. 

The wolf immediately made of yip of pain that transitioned into a full on scream, as the wolf released his grip on the pistol as he tried to cover his abused ears. Allen quickly tossed the firearm to the side, well out of the wolf's reach, and had the now moaning wolf zip-cuffed within moments.

Once the suspect was secure, he took stock of the situation. From the red tinged fluid dripping out of the other wolf's right ear, he was almost certain that the noise had ruptured the eardrum, but as that wasn't a life threatening injury, he was content to keep an eye on the suspect and he moved to retrieve the firearm before crouching down beside the subdued wolf. 

Though out of uniform, he still had a utility pouch and his comm on his belt. He slapped his panic button and called in. "Officer needs assistance! Assailant in custody was armed with a handgun! Officer out of uniform and seeking cover! Scene is not secure!"

It was only when he said the words that he realized just how open his position was, and he quickly scuttled to take cover behind a nearby vehicle, taking a moment to drop the magazine of the pistol, and a quick glance told all he needed to know. The magazine was almost full, with only the two fired rounds unaccounted for. He was about to clear the firearm, when something made him pause, and instead he replaced the magazine and verified that a round was already chambered, before hunkering down to wait for backup to arrive.


	15. Chapter 15

Hello everyone!

Well it’s been a while since the last update, but Steve and I have not been idle. As was the plan from the beginning of this work, we have been passing ideas and theories back and forth, and this chapter very much the result of those brainstorming sessions.

This time around, the focus (for the science part at least), is on medical care in Zootopia, and I’ll be delving into the underlying research and theories in the end notes.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text  
Nichole and Julius Chapter 16: Celeste Gets Shot: A Shattered Visage

 

Jefferson's comm unit faintly buzzed and he silenced it instantly, lest it disturb the still sleeping little coyote. He stepped to the far side of the room to answer it, some part of him hesitant to leave his partner alone, even now.

"Jefferson."

"Porter here." recognizing the voice of his watch commander, the puma felt an uncharacteristic sense of foreboding. Given the events of the last few days, it was only natural to feel some apprehension, but there was something more he thought.. "Allen Whitehorse has just been attacked. Attempted shooting. He's okay and a suspect, a wolf, is custody."

Jefferson let a bit of a hiss out, glancing to Celeste, fearing he might wake her.

"It...yeah, it looks like the ZPD is being directly targeted. We've already uniformed with the Hospital's security and have two units coming to support you directly. You have your full kit on?"

Jefferson grumbled at that, though in uniform, but had not fully equiped up when he came to keep his vigil. "'Fraid not. No tactical."

"Right. I'll have them bring some gear for you." Then, in a much less formal tone. "How's she doing? I hate not being able to see her yet."

Jefferson smiled just a bit at that. Captain Porter was notorious for his rules-bound management style on the clock, but was both laid back and rather sentimental away from the office. "She is still rather tender, but everything looks good for recovery so far."

Jefferson glowered as he considered his situation. As he considered it, the random shooting now seemed not so random. Especially as Allen was not in uniform.

"Captain, Whitehorse only had just left here a bit ago, so it must have happened on the way home, and he was out of uniform. So if he was attacked, it wasn't because he was in blue."

When he first arrived and found Dr. Hawthorne instead of Whitehorse, he could tell by scent alone that the Wolf had been not long before, but lacked the typical trace of officer-in-uniform that went with being suited, dacron blend, cleaned and ironed to an inch of its life. Even after a shift or more, it was all too distinct. Instead it was stale cotton that could use laundering, especially with the overlays of stress and anxiety.

"Shit. The First didn't tell me that. So if this is something personal..." A pause, "Or specie-ist, Whitefoot's still a target." Porter audibly ground his teeth. "Like I said, I told the hospital and have the units coming. And going to add a third."

Closing the connection, Jefferson considered the tactical setting he now found himself in. Other than the large hospital bed Celeste was in and several light-weight chairs, there was nothing for cover or effective obstacles. The door to the room was substantial, though not intended to be bullet proof, it was rather dense to be sound proof and might afford some resistance to smaller calibre weapons. And it was lockable.

What were the chances that someone might try again on Celeste? That they must have been watching the hospital to catch Whitehorse meant that they knew where she was and could identify him out of uniform. And that was bad. But did they have more guns? Presuming the thwarted attack meant the gun was secured, but did they have more? He prayed that they didn't, but had to suspect the worst. 

"What is it?" Celeste could make little more than a muttered whisper, but the uncovered eye and alert ears showed she was off the heaviest of the pain meds.

"Sorry if I woke you." Jefferson attempted to settle down, no reason to make her worry too much too soon.

"Uhuh." The little Coyote gave him as much of a look as her bandages would allow. "You're my partner, so what's up?"

The old Puma nodded. Yes, she truly was, and had likely picked up on his anxiety during the 'phone call.

He stood beside her bed, but couldn't help but retain a ready posure, keeping half an eye at the door. "Your Whitehorse was attacked when he left the hospital. He's okay and the shooter has been caught. Another wolf."

Celeste grimaced a moment and then made a little frustrated growl. "Why?"

"Don't know yet. There is worry that they may be targeting the two of you. Porter has units coming to cover you here." Jefferson gave Celeste's paw a brief squeeze. "We're all here for you."

The poor Pup. He could tell she wanted to cry for her Mate, but she was also rather self-conscious about how she was still viewed by many as little more than a girl-child. He reached over an placed a paw on her shoulder, and allowed a rare smile to show on his muzzle as he considered the young canine’s plight.. 

“Tears are not a weakness, ’Adeezhi ; they are a sign of strength. Without a single word, they show the world that our hearts are pure, and it is through the heart that we make things better.”

Celeste tried to share her partner’s smile, but her worry about Allen didn’t abate, and with a shuddering breath, she let the last bit of her control slip, and allowed to tears to flow. Jefferson stayed at her side; her partner and her friend. The road that Celeste and Allen walked had become a dark place, but the puma knew with absolute certainty that both her heart, and her mate’s were like a beacon pushing back the darkness.

 

"All units. Be advised that there has been a second attack on a ZPD officer. While the officer is unhurt and the suspect has been apprehended, everyone is cautioned that there may still be an ongoing threat out there."

Nichole and Julius shared a look of dread at that. 

After a long pause, Nichole broke the silence. "I wonder who it was?"

"I'd almost not want to know." Julius grumbled back, the events of the past few days had proven why the phrase “May you live in interesting times, was very much a curse . Seeing the Fox's puzzled expression, he explained. "If it's someone we know, we'll get upset and put us off our game." He huffed and continued, "Not that this is going to make us all a bit twitchier."

Nichole grumbled a bit in agreement. As much as she felt a bit vulnerable not having a carry gun anymore, another side of her was almost relieved in that she didn't have to worry about a potentially lethal over-reaction. But she drew her mark seven darter and checked the action.

Unlike the earlier sprung or air driven single shot darters, the mark seven was a cartridge-driven semi-automatic pistol. The darts were dose-adjustable, the gun's loading action also set the dart to a selected level. As the darts were bulky, and even Nichole's paws not all that big, the magazine was set forward of the pistol grip. And again, for size, the magazine only carried six rounds. In theory each round was enough to deal with anything from a class B to F size mammal. In practice, no one wanted to risk even the impact injury to a small citizen, especially at close range, and for larger subjects, multiple shots might be necessary for prompt effect.

Julius made a little face. "Still worried about your widdle bunny-wunny?"

Nichole snorted. "No. Just my usual general purpose paranoia. Especially in that they might really be after us this time."

Meanwhile, Winston, Allen's erstwhile partner, was not nearly as sanguine. "Tailor, call the precinct and find out who it was."

Tailor, a Jaguar, was her temporary partner, as she preferred to have male preds as a counterpoint to her as an Elk Cow. He too was clearly concerned as to the news and didn't debate the decision.

"Unit 418, can you tell us who it was?" 

"After yesterday, we're keeping a lid on things 'til end of shift."

The pair huffed at that, but were unsurprised. Hearing about Whitefoot by name had been unsettling for everyone in uniform. And that whoever it was had been reported as unhurt provoked a bit less acute anxiety.

Tailor checked his mark seven, just to be sure, and Winston made a little amused snort. "You're not going to get rookie jumpy on me, are you?"

"Hey, I might not have the octades and octades of time in like some mammals..." And he mimed an arthritic old beast.

They both snickered just a bit, it helped break the tension.

"But yeah, it is a bit disconcerting to have officers targeted."

Winston had to agree. There had been a couple cases of officers being ambushed in conjunction with a crime scene, but never a targeted attack.

After a bit, Tailor suggested. "Maybe the media might have something?"

Winston had to agree that she was anxious to find out what had happened and nodded for him to go for it. He pulled out his personal device and only took a moment to find things.

"Oh, it's Whitehorse." And he glanced at her, knowing the wolf was her regular partner. 

The Elk didn't say anything but the steering wheel creaked in her grip. Finally. "Damnit. What has that pup stepped in?"

Seeing his quizzical expression, she explained. "Whitefoot is his mate, and it can't be a coincidence that that he got attacked too. But why?"

"Any cases? Ya know, like they pissed someone off?"

"Nope. And they're both rookies, same class from last year. Whitehorse has been with me since day one on the beat, and we've been particularly unremarkable in who we've dealt with." She shook her head. "And from what he's mentioned to me, she hasn't had anyone who'd be an issue either."

"Maybe they're targeting rookies, like to demoralize and discourage new recruits?" The Jaguar's face pinched a bit. "After Hopps, the ZPD has had a lot of undue attention from the fringier sides of things."

Winston knew and liked the spunky little Rabbit and didn't get a hostile vibe from Tailor, just the observation, and in that, had to agree.

Coming on the heels of the already controversial Mammal Inclusion Initiative, having Julius Hopps join the ranks was not well-received by some in and out of the ZPD. Even as he broke the missing mammal part of the Bellwether conspiracy, his catastrophic press conference actually helped fuel the fear-mongering that was central to the evil Ewe's plot.

Later, even after having revealed the true nature of the crisis, he was still a focus of controversy and hostile attention. And that he set a precedent for a broader range of species to enter the ZPD was very much a part of that ire. That such dubious creatures' like Foxes and such could sully the force, and talk of even more 'undeserving beasts' coming in, had caused some vocal concern among some in blue and more open criticism from the public.

Could this be a roundabout attack on the MII (or M.I.I.?) and Hopp's presence in the ZPD?

The two officers tossed the idea around for a while, though had to conclude that there nothing yet to support that or any other speculation. Then Tailor made a suggestion to see what social media had to say.

"Eyu!" As he scrolled through web traffic. "Good news and bad news. Not much yet on Whitehorse, but a lot of sympathy for Whitefoot, mostly standard support your local police kind of thing, but a few more directed to her as a coyote making good, a credit to her species kind of thing."

The two shared an eye roll at that.

"Then there is the bad, and just plain nuts." The Jaguar took a deep breath, "We have the cop-killing is a good thing crowd, the coyote and/or wolf killing is a good thing, the false-flag variations, either to fabricate sympathy for pred cops, or as a cover-up to get rid of pred cops. Or, since the shooters were wolves, a false-flag to vilify them."

"Oh glob, what a mess." Winston sighed. "Or take it to the next level as a plot to falsely claim wolves in order to create an anti-prey backlash and establish a pred-dominate regime."

"Cheese, I found just that! Oops, three, no, four variations of that. Including a counter claim and call for Bellwether to return to save us all from the pred menace."

As for Allen, once support had arrived and the suspect secured, the whirlwind of the process began. Non-stop questions intermixed with concern and belated condolences for Celeste. Finally, a break in the interrogation and Whitehorse asked. "Sir, I need to get back to Celeste. She'll have heard about the incident..." He caught himself. "Sorry. And she's scheduled for her first rounds of surgery today..."

The interrogator, a sour-faced Coyote that he didn't know, a bit of a surprise, actually, glanced to Chief Bogo who was overseeing the process. The Buffalo grimaced at that, an officer injured in the line of duty hurt him more than he normally let on. "Okay. There ought to be transport available. Check with Clawhauser. And let me know as soon as you do about how she's doing."

Watching the young wolf go, Detective Post huffed. "What's the force coming to, with patrolbeasts having relationships?."

Bogo snorted back lightly. "You loveless old dog. They're doing alright. It's only this circumstance that's the problem. I hear from both Winston and Jefferson, and the two rookies have been a credit to the uniform. And I don't see them ever teaming up. Wouldn't do to have a couple together."

Post sneered. "Then why do you persist with Hopps and that fox?"

Bogo scowled at his detective. Post was likely the best investigator of his generation on the force, but he was not the most sociable. "You know why." Bogo grumbled.

Both Bogo and Post knew that Hopps and Wilde were an experiment, both as small species officers, and as very different classes of mammals together as partners. While pred and prey were serving together, it was never so much a difference. Further, to see if the synergy they seemed to have as a crime fighting team was real enough to continue. The plan would be to fast track them into becoming detectives, a status that did not strain police conduct policy as much.

Many in the ZPD were unentheusiatic about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative as they feared it would allow otherwise unsuitable beasts into the department. Hopps' performance had largely allayed that concern, Post now respected the Rabbit's zeal and looked forward to having him on his team.

Wilde was a very different matter, and Bogo had to keep an eye on Post due to his animus of foxes in general, and Wilde in particular. He didn't know why the old Coyote had that particular bias, only that it was his one flaw in his otherwise sterling career.

Allen trotted over to the front desk and the clearly distraught big Cat. Clawhauser was at the center of all the action for the precinct, and by extension, much of the ZPD as a whole. That his extended police family was threatened was not sitting well with him.

"The Chief already told me. And if you want, Winston is close enough by to give you a lift. You alright?"

"Yes. Thanks. And that's be prefect." The wolf gave Clawhauser a comforting paw grip. As much as the Cheetah was well-regarded by most in the precinct, he was still a bit isolated at his desk and in his role, and to an extent that carried over socially. To get that little bit of paws on support helped more than one might think.

It only took a few minutes for Winston's cruiser to show up, lights flashing to rush through traffic.

"You know, non-critical use of lights and excessive speed can warrant official reprimand." Allen deadpanned at his anxious partner.

"Get in the car, you stupid pup!" the old Elk snorted.

Allen barely got in the door before Winston bolted off. Allen and Tailor exchanged looks. "She's been like this since the call went out this morning." The Jaguar explained.

"I have not!" Winston huffed. The two males shared a look.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Too busy to be scared when it happened." Allan sighed. "Despite all the images of wild police action, the real thing can be awfully routine. And there is a lot to be said for the boring day to day. Especially as we know how bad a situation can go." There as a shared silent moment at that.

"But. There is always the question of how would you act, perform in the worst case. And in the moment, like I said, I was too busy to worry about anything but just dealing with the immediate situation. But after, it was wow, I passed the test."

As both Winston and Tailor were also the rare officers who had been confronted by and then also passed their own version of the test, they nodded in understanding.

"I ought to be even more cross with you, beyond getting yourself attacked and all, you didn't call me about how Celeste was doing." Winston growled(!)

"Oh Cheese! Sorry about that." Allen whined. "She was pretty much doped up, so she wasn't awake for very long. The damage sounds more icky that it looks, at least covered in bandages."

"With a little luck, just a hint of scar to make her look extra tough." Winston suggested, then regretted the comment seeing Allen's pained expression. 

After an awkward moment, he sighed and attempted a wane smile. "Yeah, she's too cute to be taken seriously as a rough, tough cop."

"Almost as bad as poor Hopps." Tailor added. "That he's been able to maintain after everything is impressive."

"Same thing with Wilde, though she's a fox, she has the street attitude to make up for it." Allen offered.

Some shared nods with that.

"So, think you can stand being partnered with Mother Winston for a while still?" And Allen gave his partner a grin.

"Other than her choice of music," And the Jaguar gave the Elk a pointed look, "You know, there has been music composed and performed after 1990."

The Wolf snickered, "The trick is movie themes. She's a sucker for tear-jerker themes, new or old."

Winston snorted, then, "How long will you be out? Even without Celeste, you're going to be on a desk for a while with the incident. And now?"

"I really don't know. Bogo was hinting at as long as necessary before, unofficial spousal care."

Winston and Tailor shared a good natured "OoOh!" at that. The love-stuck young canids were the source of all kinds of cheerful speculation. Then Winston's tone turned more serious. "But what about the chance that you've been both deliberately targeted?" 

"I just dunno. I've got the whole of the force behind me, so we'll just have to see what happens."

They arrived at the hospital, noticing the police presence, and in turn, several officers complemented Allen on his safe resolution of his incident. At the same time, there was a determined tone that their sister in blue was not going to be further threatened.

Then they got to Celeste, or at least the outside of her room. There they found Jefferson as well as two additional officers waiting outside. "She's getting prepared for surgery now." The Puma explained.

Allen clenched his paws but could only sigh in disappointment.

"She will be able to say hi before she goes." Jefferson comforted, then observed, "You seemed to have done well today."

"Yeah, but..." And the young Wolf nodded towards the door. It was clear that he was more worried about his mate than his own recent incident. But at the moment there was nothing to be done. He shifted gears, "Winston, this is Sergeant Jefferson, Celeste's partner."

"So, you're the one who's been taking care of my pup's pup." Winston beamed as she offered a hoof.

The stoic Puma broke into a rather uncharacteristic grin, "And you, my pup's pup." And they shared a chuckle at that. 

Allen and Tailor shared a look.These elder officers could be so parental.

Then Jefferson gave the younger cat a look. "I knew your Father."

"Yeah, and here I am. Family tradition and all." They shared a hug.

Allen glanced to Winston, who signaled 'later'.

There were further introductions with the pair of officers on the security detail. They were from the Fourth, familiar to Jefferson but not to the officers of the First. Along with words of support for the pair and congratulations for Allen's performance, there were a couple asides about the 'yummy puppy' aspect of Celeste's heretofore mystery boyfriend. That of course brought some good natured banter and a bit of a distraction from the more serious matters at paw.

After just a few minute wait, the door opened with a pair of staff wheeling Celeste out. Allen leapt to her side with a yip, echoed in a rather weak and muffled fashion by her. He frantically snuffled and caressed the unbandaged half of her face and ears with nose and paws, his tail flailing the air behind. She in turn weakly brought the one paw unencumbered by IV plumbing to rub his ruff and ear.

The officers shared smiles at the scene, but their shared joy with the young lovers was tempered by the sight and still lingering smell of injury to the little coyote girl.

After a moment, the staffers had to break the cuddle. "Sorry, but she still needs to go to surgery." Said with ernest apology, as they were as moved as the officers in witnessing the sweet demonstration. "But you can walk with her as we take her in."

The two young canids grudgingly broke their embrace, though they did keep paws touching as she was wheeled down the hall. The escorting officers held back a few paces to give the pair some privacy as they whispered their devotion to each other. Then Celeste was gone and Allen could only stand there outside the doors leading to the hospital’s operating rooms. 

He knew that she would be fine, at least that’s what he tried to tell himself. The logical part of him knew that it was almost a certainty that his pup would be fine...but that didn’t stop the fear and worry from taking hold. 

Taking one last look at the door, he sighed heavily, and started heading towards the waiting room. There were already some ZPD present, and a small smile crossed his muzzle, knowing that Celeste had so many mammals in her corner. 

Behind him he heard the door leading to the operating theaters open, and when he looked back, he was greeted to a female wolf in scrubs, holding a tablet loosely in her paw. He couldn’t help noticing that she was quite a bit smaller than most of the wolves he had come across in Zootopia, but her fur had the traditional grey and brown hues that were common to their species. The female obviously noticed his focus, and tilted her head slightly before making her way over to him, offering her paw in greeting. 

“Officer Whitehorse?” the wolf asked, her voice was heavily accented, but she was easily understood, and Allen nodded as he shook her paw. 

“Yes, that’s me…” he stated, before a sudden spike of fear shot through him. “Is Celeste okay? What happened?” His mind was visualizing the reasons why someone would need to speak with him, and none of them bode well for his mate. 

The other wolf held up her paws, and motioned for him to calm down.

 

“Celeste is fine, officer,” she said and a single glance into her eyes told Allen that she was speaking the truth. 

“Sorry about that,” he couldn’t help but chuckle, at how quickly he had panicked. “I think I’m just a bit on edge ma’am.” 

The female wolf shared a laugh of her own. “No need to apologize, and it’s completely understandable. I’m Doctor Danika White, one of the surgeons who will be operating on your mate.” She motioned towards a pair of chairs placed against the wall, “Pardon me for being a bit blunt here, but you look like you could some rest, Mr. Whitehorse.” 

Allen couldn’t argue the point and simply laughed at how he must appear...and smell to the other canid. Rubbing a paw over his face, he shrugged and followed the physician to the open seats, where he waited for the physician to seat herself before he did likewise.

Doctor White smiled at Allen adherence to etiquette. “An officer and a gentlemammal, Mr. Whitehorse?” she said as Allen seated himself, before continuing on in a quieter voice, probably more her speaking to herself than him. “That does help to explain a few things..Još jedan glupav vitez vukova.” 

She must have seen Allen’s confusion on his face, but the physician waved a paw dismissively. “Nothing to worry about, Officer. Doctor Packard and I had a chance to speak with Ms. Whitefoot earlier, and she was quite adamant that one of us fill you in.” She motioned with her paw towards the operating rooms. “Doctor Packard is handling the jaw reconstruction, and once we finish here, I’ll head in to support her until I can begin the facial reconstruction.” 

The physician brought up her tablet, and angled the screen towards Allen, and he fought to not whine when he saw Celeste’s face on the screen. Her bandages had been removed, and it was the first time he had seen the actual damage done by the bullet. The wound on the right side of her face was a ragged mess of flesh and fur, and he could see the mottled coloration of his pup’s cheek through the gaps in her fur. The damage wasn’t just to her face, as the poor coyote’s left eye was a discolored mess, the normal whites of her eyes instead a bloodshot red and purple mess.

The physician must have smelled his distress, and she reached over and placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, before continuing. “I know it might not look like it, but I’m pleased to say that Officer Whitefoot was quite fortunate, all things considering.” 

Allen managed to tear his gaze from Celeste’s image and looked at the doctor with an incredulous expression on his face. “That’s fortunate?” he said after a moment, reaching out to touch the image as he fought to maintain some level of control.

There was nothing but kindness in Danika’s eyes as she gave his shoulder another squeeze before she flipped to the next image. Unlike the previous image, this one was more of a model of Celeste’s head, and Allen was quickly able to parse what he was looking at. 

“She was very lucky Officer Whitehorse,” she stated as she zoomed in on the portion of the cheek where the bullet had exited, while highlighting several features all around the site of the wound. 

“These are the normal facial nerves that signal the muscles of the face and muzzle when and how to move,” she stated motioning towards her own muzzle to show the path that the fine nerve bundles took through the face and jaw. “When the bullet exited Officer Whitefoot’s cheek it came extremely close to the ventral buccal branch of the nervous system. If that had been damaged, there would be at least some paralysis of the muscles in the region.” 

Danika looked at Allen, and allowed her smile to spread just a bit wider as she once again switched the image to a video that had obviously been recorded earlier that day. Once again Celeste’s face was the focus, and he watched as his mate worked to contort her muzzle into various shapes. He couldn’t help but let out a slight whine when he heard her hiss in pain as an attempt to fully bear her teeth obviously reached the limits of her current physical state. 

The image zoomed out at that point, and he saw Celeste glance over towards the camera and smile, while she lifted her paw to partially conceal the wound from view. As the image stabilized, Allen could see that Celeste was holding onto a mirror with her free paw, and had been watching herself as she performed the various contortions expected of her.

As he watched, a smile formed on his own muzzle, as his mate laughed, but then he saw the tears that were pooling around her eyes. A light brown paw moved into the image, and the camera angled up to see another female canine in scrubs, who grasped onto Celeste’s shoulder and gave her a small shake. She was noticeably smaller than even Celeste’s rather diminutive form, and he recognized he as some kind of jackal, but they were quite rare in the big city. 

“See! Just like Danika and I said; full mobility, and a full recovery is as close to guaranteed as you can get for medicine,” The jackal’s voice held real enthusiasm at the comment, and Celeste nodded, glancing at both the jackal and the mammal filming the scene...probably Dr. White herself, before giving another small laugh, and moving to wipe away the tears before they could fall. 

The smaller canid reached out her own paw to help Celeste, knowing that the IV limited the coyote’s mobility for her other arm.

“Imati neku vjeru, sestro. Vidimo se kući.” Danika’s voice was clear, even if Allen couldn't understand a single word, her tone carried with it a sense of calm support. 

The jackal rolled her eyes at her colleague, but the smile on her muzzle was very real, “I can never tell if your being supportive when you do that, or are just making fun of the rest of us.” 

After a few moments, the physician realized that her colleague wasn’t going to provide any additional insight as to the meaning of her words, and returned her attention to Celeste. “I’m not going to lie though,” she continued, “You are probably not going to be too happy with us when you wake up, but from that point on, things are going to get better.” 

Celeste, nodded her head at the physician, and returned her gaze to the hand mirror, her free paw, once again reaching out to touch her wounded cheek. The video stopped there, and Allen breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking over at the physician, Allen nodded in thanks. “Thank you, ma’am,” he stated, only then realizing how on edge he had been now that he could feel some of the tension leaching away. “I know it’s still going to be a long road, but seeing that helped...a lot.” 

Danika inclined her head, and opened up another file for Allen to look over. The wolf cocked his head to the side, as he took in the details. It appeared to be a schedule for a variety of procedures, along with some additional annotations covering home care instructions. 

“This is the schedule that Dr. Packard and I feel will give Office Whitefoot the best recovery options. Oh, and that was her on the video,” She said, realizing that she had neglected to introduce her colleague, before pointed to the first entry in the list. “Today the focus will be on stabilizing the jaw using a bio-polymer scaffold, which will help the osteoblasts...those are the cells that actually mineralize the bone, and should speed up her recovery. Aside from that, I’ll be working on an initial...clean up of the soft tissue around her cheek, as well as inserting some bladders under the surrounding regions of Celeste’s face and muzzle.”

Allen’s confusion must have been obvious to the doctor, and she smiled as she brought up the coyote model she had used previously. “When I repair wounds of this type, it’s best if we can use as much of the patient’s own parts as it were. The bladders will be slowly filled over the next two weeks, and that will give the skin time to adapt, and heal, while giving me some material to work with.”

Dana indicated towards the next milestone on the list. “This will probably be about an six to eight hour series of procedures, but after the surgery today, Officer Whitefoot should be ready to head home in a couple of days. One unfortunate fact when dealing with wounds to the mouth, the odds of infection are almost one hundred percent. We’ve already got her on several antibiotics, but it would be best if she could have someone around to keep an eye on things.”

Allen nodded, “She’s currently living with another colleague, Officer Wilde, but I don’t intend on being far away from her at any point in the near future.”

Dr. White nodded, and motioned back at the schedule, “Good, if possible, try keep her from moving her jaw too much. Short conversations are fine, but try to keep her from making any speeches, or eating anything harder than a cricket mash for at least a couple of weeks.” Allen looked towards the physician at the rather...odd orders, but from the smile on the other canid’s muzzle, he could see that the comments had mostly been made in jest. “Once things are prepped, I’ve estimated that the next round of surgery will be in sixteen days or so, and the majority of the damage will be repaired within six weeks unless something goes awry.”

Danika took back the tablet, and opened up another CG image, and motioned for Allen to take a closer look. His attention became fix on the near photo-realistic view of Celeste’s face, and he felt Dr. White’s paw reach out and grasp his shoulder in support. 

“Based on the initial imaging of the wounds, I’ve worked up a realistic estimation of what the end results will be.” she said, and with a tap on the screen, the image switched to one clearly showing the damage that the bullet had caused. As allen watched in amazement, the wounds began to change, as the days ticked by on a counter positioned in the upper right of the screen. When the sequence stopped, a mere 50 days had passed...and he was looking at his pups face again. There were some differences, to be sure, and the fur on her cheek, had an almost spiral patterning to it in some areas; 

“...but it really is her face!” he thought, as he fought back against the tears that longed to fall. Throughout this entire affair, he had known that he would love the little coyote regardless of the outcome...it was her reaction that he feared; another piece of evidence of just how far away she felt she was from society’s ideals.

Allen was about to respond, when an electronic chime sounded from the tablet, and a text message appeared on the screen. 

“Pokey Inbound!”

Doctor White spared a glance at the wall mounted clock, and “Right on time,” was all she said before she swiftly rose, and made her way over the the double door leading to the operating rooms. She took up a relaxed potions, just to the side, and what could only be described as a malicious smile spread across her muzzle. 

Allen was about to ask what was going on, when his ears once again twitched, and he noticed that the previously small hallway was becoming slightly more crowded. The various mammals, all appeared to be hospital, nurses, technicians and even a couple of mammals that the wolf was sure were physicians by their clothing, were all doing their best to seem both busy, and that they had a reason to be here, but it was obvious that they were all waiting for something...or someone. 

The doors leading to the wing of the building where the operating rooms were located burst open, and a rather tall oryx walked through, his attention fixated on a tablet in his hooves. Following closely behind, was a similarly dressed porcupine, who was actually trying to grab the tablet from his colleague, but his attempts at jumping to reach it fell well short of his goal. 

“Damn it, William!” he stated, as the pair continued down the hall. Allen noticed Doctor White, and a rather hulking bear orderly moved to block the door once the pair were through. As Allen looked on, every mammal present had abandoned all attempts at subtlety, and were training smartphones on the developing scene. The porcupine was oblivious to the surrounding, his attention fixated on the larger ungulate’s hooves. 

Finally, he had obviously reached the end of his patience, and he moved to stand in front of his colleague, “Hand it over, NOW!”

The words were just below that of a scream, and Allen saw that the noise had attracted the attention of several of his ZPD brethren, who were now keeping a close eye on the two newcomers. 

With a sigh, and a roll of his eyes, the Oryx casually tossed the tablet to the porcupine, “Fine, here you go, Rick.” he said as the smaller mammal fumbled with the object, just managing to get a solid grip on it before it fell to the floor. 

Only sparing a moment to glare at the larger mammal, Rick looked at the screen and a confused expression spread across his face. 

“There’s nothing here!” he said after a moment, waving the device at the oryx. 

Doctor White had apparently been waiting for this, and she snapped her digits, “Oh, right! I almost forgot.” 

Rick froze in place, and his eyes grew hard as he turned to face the wolf, “What the fuck are you doing here, Dana?” was all he said, and Allen was surprised at the hate that colored the porcupine’s words. 

The female wolf didn’t say anything, and just tapped her own tablet. Only moments later a chime was heard from the device in the other physician’s increasingly clenched paws. A scowl formed on Rick’s muzzle as he glanced at his tablet, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the title of the message, 

Request to Change Designated Physician

He didn’t even look up from the tablet, as a snarl erupted from his face, “You self-righteous BITCH!” He quickly opened the document, and it only took a single glance for him to confirm the contents of the message. Only then did he look directly at the female wolf. 

“What will it take for me to be rid of you?” he yelled while hurling the tablet against the floor. “Just who the fuck do you think you are?” 

Danika’s gaze hardened as she saw Rick’s reaction, and Allen noticed that the noise had attracted the attention of some of his ZPD colleagues, who were now closely watching the developing scene, one or two of the mammals switching on their body cameras in case the scene escalated. 

Doctor White sneered at her colleague, and began slowly walking towards him. “What will it take, Rick? How about you turn into a competent surgeon?” She motioned back towards the ORs with her paw, but her gaze remained fixed on the smaller mammal. “Who do I think I am? Someone who actually gives two shits about her patients, divlji otpad od mesa.” 

Rick rolled his eyes at the response, but Dana wasn’t even close to being done. 

“So when were you going to speak with Officer Whitefoot, Doctor Edwards? When she was unconscious in the OR?” Allen’s ears twitched at the obvious distaste the she wolf felt towards her colleague, but he could tell that there was a lot more to this than a simple professional rivalry. “Amanda and I spoke with Ms. Whitefoot for almost two hours this morning, and not only didn’t you even try to speak with her, but we had mammals waiting for you to arrive, and you just went straight to the OR.” 

Dana flipped the tablet’s screen to face the furious porcupine, but she still refused to let him get a word in edgewise, “If I hadn’t already made sure that you were not going to be touching one tuft of fur on this patient, Amanda would have. She doesn’t know you as well as some of the other mammals here, but you made a jebeno jadno first impression when you didn’t bother to check in on Ms. Whitefoot at all!” She gave a dismissive snort as she looked towards her former professor, “You don’t care about your patients, and all you wanted was to be able to say that you ‘ saved’ a proud ZPD officer...never once even asking what she wanted out of the reconstruction.”

Doctor Edwards, waved his paw dismissively and actually gave a small laugh at the scene, “Oh screw you, Dana. I’m not a charity worker, and do you think that the ZPD will be covering even half of the crap you’re probably thinking about.” The sneer returned to his muzzle, as he once again laughed at the nievite of his former student. “I’d get her face back together, anything more than that is just a waste of my time.” 

Danika’s mouth actually hung agape for a moment. Even she was shocked at the callousness on display.

In fact, all around the hallway, the staff who had been filming the scene, were taken aback by the surgeon’s words, and the entire hallway was rendered silent, as everyone processed just what Doctor Edwards had stated. While most of the hospital staff were too shocked to act, two of them managed to shake off their sudden paralysis, and dashed towards one of the floor’s nursing station, desperate to get some senior mammals involved before it could get worse.

The biggest change however came from the gathered ZPD officers. As one, their   
faces hardened as they took in the porcupine’s words. All first responders knew that there was an unspoken comradery between them and the medical staff. All of them willing to risk their own health and safety to help their comrades…at least that was supposed to be the case.

Doctor Edwards had taken that bond, and publicly spat on it for all to see. Even allowing for his ignorance regarding the mammals who were observing the scene, his words had struck deeply, and this would not be dismissed out of paw. 

There was a flurry of activity from the officers, as several more of them switched on the body cameras integrated into their patrol uniforms, while others quietly spoke into their radios, while still others were quiet, not quite believing that any mammal, let alone a physician, could be so dismissive.

Both Jefferson and Winston looked over at Allen, knowing that the physician’s callous disregard for his mate’s well being would affect the young officer.

They were not wrong, as Allen gaze was fixated on the porcupine’s back, while his fur bristled with anger. Winston started heading towards her partner, seeing first hand the wolf’s internal struggle to maintain control, as he rose from his seat, but made no move towards Dr. Edwards. The wolf’s paws were shaking as he clenched them into fists, but that was the extent of his actions for now. 

Winston looked back over her shoulder, catching Jefferson’s eye. She made a motion towards the porcupine with her head, and the puma nodded in understanding. She would keep Allen grounded...but the number of mammals who would gladly knock out several of the porcupine’s teeth had skyrocketed over the past few seconds.

Danika shook her head in disbelief at Rick’s...malice. “Nisam mislio da bi itko mogao biti tako glup” she said while she shook her head at the smaller physician, her voice rising as the anger that now filled the hallway began to affect everyone present.. “What kind of an   
idiot are you?”

Not giving him a chance to speak, Danika stalked towards the smaller surgeon, her jowls twitching as she fought the urge to snarl. “When one of the ZPD are injured, hell ANY first responder, do they find themselves shoved into a darkened room while they heal, or are they surrounded by their colleagues?”` 

Danika made it a point to look past Doctor Edwards, and she nodded to the assembled ZPD, both as a sign of respect, but also an apology for how far off the rails the situation had become.

The porcupine’s eyes widened at Danika’s words, and for the first time since he had arrived, he spun around and immediately saw that this meeting was far from private. His gaze flicked between the stunned faces of the hospital staff, and the angry glares from the ZPD officers. 

Rick looked towards his colleagues, seeking some kind of support. He had worked with many of these mammals for years, and had even taught several of them during that same period. 

The faces of the various hospital staff transitioned from one of shock to utter disdain, and he was dumbstruck when, en-masse, they moved to stand with the ZPD. 

A low growl off to his right sent a shiver down his spine, and he looked over at another wolf along with a large elk, who was apparently trying to calm her colleague. From the bristled fur, and barely contained snarl on the male canids face, he was unsure how successful she would be. 

“That would be Officer Whitefoot’s mate, Rick, ZPD Officer Allen Whitehorse.” Danika’s voice managed to pull the porcupine out of his own stupor, and he looked back towards her. “I think you’ve made quite the impression on everyone here, but you should leave now, govno jedno.” 

Rick was about to reply, when another growl emerged, this time from within the group of ZPD officers. When he looked towards them, he saw the large puma walking towards him. The big cat’s face was oddly neutral given the current situation, but a subtle movement from the officer’s paws made him take a step back, as he realized that the feline was unsheathing and retracting his claws, and Rick would have been a fool to not detect the anger...no rage within the other mammal.

He started to address the big cat, only for his words to be cut off when the officer made a swiping gesture. 

When he spoke, the voice was neutral, but the porcupine could swear that the words were undercut with a low growl, “Doctor Edwards, I suggest that you take your colleague’s advice.” Tahoma shook his head at the smaller mammal. “Your paws will never touch my partner, and if needed, we will remove you from the premises.” 

One of the other ZPD officers made a show of cracking his knuckles when the puma mentioned removing the physician from the hospital. The white wolf’s actions earned him a sideways glance from his some colleagues, but more than one of them were also nodding in approval. 

Even though a voice in the back of his mind was screaming at him to get out of there, he couldn't let this insult slide. 

“I’m the senior physician here, officer, not her.” He motioned back over his shoulder towards Danika. “If you’re going to be removing anyone, it will be her.” 

It was little more than a bluff, but the odds are that none of the ZPD would know about the internal hierarchy of Zootopia General. 

Hi ears twitched, as he heard the door leading to the ORs open. After a few breaths, a male voice sounded off from behind him. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Doctor Edwards.” 

Rick spun on his heels, recognizing the voice as belonging to Doctor Xavier Farro, the chief physician of Zootopia General. As he expected the Iberian lynx was half dressed in standard surgical scrubs, and had probably been just heading into surgery, or had been pulled out of one when the situation occurred...and given the presence of tiny red droplets on the lynx’s chest, it was probably the latter. He was accompanied by a pair of rabbits, a nurse and an orderly from their scrubs, who were looking over the scene with no small trepidation. 

Rick could already tell that the lynx was...less than pleased at the odd tableaux in front of him. After a moment, the physician walked right past Rick, angrily holding up a paw to silence the porcupine when he tried to speak. 

He stopped a few feet away from the ZPD, and he looked over the group. “If my understanding of this is accurate, this entire facility, and all the staff here, owes all of you an apology, officers.” He stated without preamble. 

The rabbit orderly tapped him on the shoulder and motioned towards where Allen was still seething. Doctor Farro nodded his thanks before approaching the fuming wolf. “Officer Whitehorse, I was made aware that you are Ms. Whitefoot’s mate only recently, and you have my profound apologies for all of this. We were unaware about Doctor Edward’s...glaring issues, but that is something that I can remedy very quickly.” 

The lynx looked over the assembled mammals before focusing his attention on Rick. “Doctor Edwards, I have no idea why you would even consider not doing all you could to help Ms. Whitefoot recover and return to active duty, and in all honesty, I don’t give a shit.” Xavier marched over to stand in front of Doctor Edwards, and he prodded the porcupine with an outstretched digit. “Pending a formal review by the ZMA, your hospital privileges are suspended effective immediately.” 

Rick’s eyes widened in shock, but the lynx didn’t give him a chance to respond, “Officers, may I ask one...or more of you to please escort Doctor Edwards out of the building?” 

From the expression on their faces, there were quite a few volunteers who would be more than willing to fulfill that request, but Jefferson held up a paw, before gesturing towards the white wolf. “Taylor, get him out of here.” 

“On it!” the wolf stated and looked towards Rick, “We can do this the easy way, or the fun way. Which will it be, Doc?” 

Rick scowled at Doctor Farro before his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he started to leave when Dana cleared her throat to get his attention. 

Xavier shot the she-wolf a warning glare, and she nodded in understanding, “I won’t say everything that I want to about you, Rick, but I do want you to know one thing before you leave.” She motioned towards Allen and then towards the operating rooms with one of her paws, “If it is needed, Ms. Whitefoot will receive whatever treatment or procedures are required to help her fully heal, and return to active duty. Dr. Packard and I have already received assurances that the Honeywell Trust will fully cover anything that arises.” 

Dana watched the porcupine’s eyes widen in shock, and even noticed Allen’s ears perk up at the Honeywell name. The Honeywell Trust was an almost mythical beast in the medical community. Literally billions upon billions of dollars, whose only purpose was to help interspecies couples through research and providing care to a population that some of Zootopia’s more conservative groups viewed as unnatural. 

Far from Celeste being a financial risk, she could have been his most lucrative patient ever...and now he knew it. He slumped in defeat, and was marched away from the group by officer Tayler, who rested one paw on the physicians back, while his other he kept on the hilt of his tranquilizer gun. 

Once he was out of sight, there was a collective sigh, and Dana immediately walked over to Allen. She could tell he was still upset, but he had calmed down slightly. Her eyes widened as her nose picked up the faint scent of blood coming from the younger wolf. When she looked at Allen’s paws, she saw the source of the odor. In his battle to remain in control, his own claws had pierced the flesh of his palm. She quickly caught the gaze of one of the nurses and motioned towards the officer’s paws. The deer’s eyes widened when she noticed the blood, and she started to reach towards one of the supply carts that were a mainstay in any hospital, only to have Allen wave their concerns away, but Dana noticed that he only glanced at the wounds after the fact. 

Dana nodded towards the nurse, who had retrieved some gauze bandages, but made no move towards her or the officer. 

The she-wolf knew that she would need to take a look at those paws soon, but of far more importance was that she owed this mammal...and all of the ZPD an apology. 

“Mr. Whitehorse, you have my sincere apology for this.” she began, feeling true remorse at just how far things had spiralled out of control. “I didn’t expect this to happen, and I’m sorry to have put you through that.” She looked over the assembled ZPD mammals, “To have put all of you through that.” 

Allen simply looked towards the door leading to his Celeste, grateful that Doctor Edwards would not be involved in her recovery. “It’s fine, ma’am...and I think he took quite a few of you by surprise.” he said, and allowed a small smile to form on his muzzle. 

“That is an understatement of near Biblical proportions, officer,” Doctor Farro added, looking at Dana with half slitted eyes. “Were you serious about the Honeywell Trust?” he asked after a moment. It was no secret that the hospital had tried many ways to divert the funds from the Honeywell Centre to the main hospital, but to say that the Centre, its resources, and its staff were well protected by a veritable army of skilled lawyers was very much the truth. 

Dana nodded in reply, “It was Doctor Hawthorne who first reached out to me when he heard that Rick was going to handle the facial reconstruction. He was...less than impressed with the situation.” 

Allen cocked his head to the side as he considered Danika’s words. “Dave did all this?” he asked, remembering the older wolf’s promise that he would do whatever he could to ensure a full recovery for Celeste. 

Doctor White took the opportunity to reach out and take the other wolf’s paws in her own, and she examined them while she considered his question for a moment. After reaching out to the nurse, and feeling both the gauze and an antiseptic spray pressed into her paws, she sighed heavily before answering, “That ludog vuka got the ball rolling, but most of this mess was my work, regrettably.” 

As she finished speaking, she quickly sprayed Allen’s paws with the antiseptic, provoking a slight wince from the ZPD mammal, before she placed a small square of gauze over each of his palms, motioning towards the wolf to maintain pressure until the bleeding stopped. 

She looked towards the clock, and sighed, “Again, you have my apologies Officer...Allen. I’ll be sure to send someone out to keep you informed on how the operation is progressing, but for now, I need to help Doctor Packard.” 

She offered her paw to Allen, before giving the rest of the ZPD a respectful nod. Before leaving, she looked back towards Allen, once again assessing the wolf’s condition. 

“This will be a long day, officer Whitehorse, try and get some sleep.” she motioned towards one of the nurse’s station just down the hall, “If you’d like something a bit more comfortable than the waiting room chairs, just ask one of the nurses and we can probably find you a proper bed.” 

Allen laughed at the comment, knowing all too well how he must look. “Thank you, ma'am, but I’d rather stay here until she gets out.” 

Danaka nodded in understanding, and a sly smile spread across her muzzle as she offered her paw, “Još jedan plemeniti vuk,” 

Doctor Farro took a moment to also gently shake Allen’s paw before the two physicians, retreated behind the double doors, but not before Allen and the nearby ZPD officers noticed the lynx make a motion towards several of the remaining staff members. The implication was obvious for anyone watching: 

“Whatever the ZPD needs, GET IT DONE NOW!”

Although Allen appreciated the gesture, his apprehension was still almost palpable. He had seen how much work Doctor White had already done in trying to help his mate, and recent events, far from lessening his opinion of the hospital staff, had provided tangible proof that these mammals would do all they could for Celeste, but fear was still a constant companion.

After staring at the doors a moment, he faintly sigh-whined then made his way to the nearby waiting area, oblivious to the supporting crowd around him. He had to wait, and in that, the physical strain of all those hours of stress and anxiety finally caught up with him, he simply plopped down bonelessly in a chair, eyes dull and jaw slack.

His escorts stood off to let him zone out, the last thing he needed at the moment was any more well-wishing. It didn't take long for him to fold up into the chair and zonk out.

At a safe distance as not to disturb, Winston observed, "Poor pup, other than for a change of clothes, he's been up and never more than a few minutes away from her since he got word yesterday. Well, not counting the debrief."

"Since she'll be all day, he might be able to get a few hours." Jefferson added, already seeing the young wolf fully succumb to exhaustion.

After the unexpected drama, Dana was silently grateful that Doctor Edwards had successfully shot himself in both feet, but seeing the hurt and anger from the ZPD, and from Officer Whitehorse in particular, had taken all of the schadenfreude out of the affair. It hadn’t been her intention for things to have gone sideways, but what was done, was done, and the only thing she could do now, was to make Celeste’s full recovery a reality.

Xavier glanced over at the wolf, and Dana could palpably feel the lynx’s intensity. She gave a sigh of resignation before turning to face the chief physician. 

“I know, Xavier! I know!” she stated bluntly. Almost everyone on staff was aware of her animosity towards Doctor Edwards, but today she had stepped over the line, unintentionally, but this was still very much her fault. “It was stupid, unprofessional, and caused more harm than good.”

Doctor Farro’s expression could best be described as disappointed, which was better than she expected, but still far from ideal. 

After a moment the lynx gave a chuff of annoyance at his colleague, “Yes, yes it was, Dana, I know that you and Doctor Edwards have a...colorful history, but that was over the line.” He shook his head as he played back the scene that had been described to him, by the near panicked technician who had almost burst into the OR trying to get his attention. 

Fortunately, the operation was already finished, and once he had managed to get the story out of the rabbit, he had quickly made his way to the scene. “We’re just lucky that Rick’s an egotistical putz, and you gave him more than enough rope to hang himself.” 

Dana couldn’t help but smile at the mess that her erstwhile teacher had stepped in, but she did understand just how the situation could have devolved into something much, much worse. The smile faded from her muzzle, and she looked over at her colleague. 

“I know, Xavier, and I won’t let something like that happen again.” She said as they reached the assigned operating room, but she was halted from going in, as the lynx placed a paw on her shoulder.

“Doctor White...Danika, this isn’t like the other spats you’ve had with Rick.” He held up a paw to forestall any reply. “In those instances, the only mammals affected were just the two of you, but this?”

He spread his arms wide, one gesturing back towards the waiting room, while the other pointed into the OR. “This is a much bigger deal. Even though it was Doctor Edwards who truly stepped in it, the odds are that some of the ZPD may still view this as a betrayal of trust, and that is something we cannot afford.”

Xavier rubbed a paw over his eyes, and shook his head before he continued, “This CANNOT happen again, and this will be your only warning, Doctor White. I can assure you that Rick will not be regaining his admitting privileges while I’m in charge, and I have no intention of going anywhere.”

Dana visibly slumped at the chief physicians words. The worst part of it was that she couldn’t find any fault in the cat’s reasoning.

Dana took a deep breath, before nodding at her colleague. “I understand, Xavier,” she said before a soft chuckle managed to escape her throat. “I take it my usual penance is still expected though?”

Xavier rolled his eyes at the wolf, “I’m angry, Dana, not stupid. Your willingness to volunteer your time and skills to help our underprivileged patients, is greatly appreciated by the board, and by me.”

“I know I’ve got a big mess to clean up, but I intend to do so. Right now, the only way I can make up for that, is to make sure that Officer Whitefoot has a full recovery,” she paused momentarily, and her gaze lost all of it’s mirth when she next spoke, “and I can promise you this, Xavier; I will make sure she fully recovers; na moju čast!”

The lynx, nodded approvingly, knowing full well that the wolf would honor her word. “Good!” he stated before continuing down the hall to ensure the wellbeing of his own patient. “Send me an update when you can.” he added over his shoulder. “The media will probably get wind of this at some point, and I’d like to have something vague but accurate to feed them before they get angry...Oh, and for your penance, we had two cubs admitted last night with second and third degree burns on their face, legs, and arms. They won’t be needing your help for a few days, but the family is going to need someone like you to ” 

“Got it!” She stated, as she stepped into the prep room, she looked over the OR from the observation window as she donned a hood and muzzle mask before she began scrubbing her paws and arms. Doctor Jordan Phelps, an arctic fox anesthesiologist that both she and Amanda had worked with in the past, had already sent Celeste into a dreamless void, with no sensation of the work that she and Amanda would be performing over the next several hours, and no memory of the hours that would have passed.

His presence was very much a blessing, as he had more experience than most when it came to maintaining general anesthesia in canids.

Amanda looked up from where it appeared as though she had been marking Celeste’s face, making final plans for how she wanted to progress; and nodded her head in acknowledgement as Dana backed into the OR proper. 

“You’re just in time, Dana.” the golden jackal said, returning her focus to Celeste’s face, and lifting her right paw, towards one of the OR nurses, a hare who Dana recognized as Tanis Hooper, of of the ‘Old Guard’ nurse practitioners, who was already prepared to pass over the scalpel to the surgeon, before she had even made the request. 

Amanda, paid it no heed, and merely closed her paw around the instrument moments after she stated, “Ten blade!”

While Doctor White made the initial incisions along the jawline, Doctor Phelps leaned over from his seat at the head of the operating table, where he would be monitoring officer Whitefoot’s vitals for the duration of the procedures. 

“So what exactly did you do, Dana?” the arctic fox cocked his head to the side as curiosity got the better of him. “It looked we had a couple of nurses almost burst in here a couple of minutes ago, but they seemed to be looking for someone in particular.” 

He motioned with his paw towards Amanda, “Doctor Packard here seemed pretty convinced that you were involved.” 

Amanda gave a brief chuckle at her colleagues comment, “I can almost guarantee that she was at the epicenter of whatever happened.”

Dana sighed, “Look, the original plan was to embarrass Rick, in addition to making sure he didn’t touch a single tuft of fur on Officer Whitefoot.” She began to rinse the soap from her arms, and made her way into the OR proper, backing through the door, to avoid contaminating her paws. 

“What I did not expect was for Doctor Edwards to state...within earshot of a bunch of ZPD mammals, I should add...Koji jebeni alat.” She shook her head as she played the scene over again in her mind, still not quite believing that the porcupine had been so callous...and stupid. 

“That he viewed Officer Whitefoot as little more than a charity case, and that ‘ I’d get her face back together, anything more than that is just a waste of my time .’” 

For a moment everything in the OR stopped, and even Amanda looked up from her work, with an expression of disbelief clearly visible in her eyes.

It was Nurse Hooper who was the first to respond, “That pompous jackass actually said that...while the ZPD were right there?” 

Dana nodded, as she slid her arms into the sterile gown that Nurse Wyatt held up for her, the significantly smaller otter needing to use a step ladder to accommodate for the wolf’s greater height. 

“And with her mate present as well.” she said as she went about getting herself properly dressed for the procedure. 

“Needless to say, Doctor Edwards’ admitting privileges have been revoked, but that otpad kože did not make things easy for the ZPD.” she shrugged as she made the final tie on her gown after donning a set of nitrile gloves to fully cover her paws. “I may not have forced him to say the words, but it was my ‘joke’ that went out of hand.”

Amanda laughed at her colleagues tone, but kept her focus squarely on her patient. “I’m guessing that there will be another sizable group of mammals who will be the beneficiaries of the fallout from this.” The golden jackal’s tone was sincere, and Dana noticed that Nurse Hooper was also nodding in agreement.

“That’s still the case...but I think Xavier knows that I’d be helping those patients even if I wasn’t in need of...atonement I guess.”

She took up her position on the opposite side of the table, and examined Celeste’s condition closely. Almost the entirety of the coyote’s left face had been shaved, and she was pleased to see that there were no additional signs of soft tissue damage. She tried to be thorough, but fur could conceal quite a bit, and until it was removed there was always a chance for an unpleasant surprise to be lurking underneath.

Amanda glanced over at Danika, with an inquisitive expression plainly evident in her eyes, “One of these days, Dana, I’m going to figure out what was in the water when your cohort was in med school,” she stated with no small amount of amusement.

Dana cocked her head to the side in confusion, and Amanda couldn't help but laugh at the wolf’s expression.

'"Oh come on, Dana! You must have noticed the trend you and your classmates seem to have followed.” The jackal returned her attention to Celeste’s jaw as she continued to expose the bone so that she could begin the real work, but she glanced back towards Dana, and cocked her head to the side as she considered the other mammals who had been enrolled at ZU at the time. “You, Dave, Tess Walfin, Emily Short...hell Brian signed up for a six month stint with Doctors Without Borders...seven years ago, and he still out there! The lot of you are all bleeding hearts...not that that's a bad thing. Spirits know we need way more of you."

The entire group laughed at the comment, and once again, Dana was unable to refute the observation, however that was for another day to consider, as her focus narrowed to the facial wounds that she would need to repair over the next few hours.

“For now,” she began, “let’s just focus on making sure that Officer Whitefoot gets back on her own two feet as soon as possible,” 

Her eyes widened as she remembered one critical detail for the operation, and she swepped her gaze across the members of the surgical team, “Who won the draw?” 

“That would be me, Doctor White.” Nurse Hooper chimed in from her position to Amanda’s right, her paws prepped to perform any task the surgeon required. 

Even under their masks, there was no mistaking the smiles present on the various mammal’s faces. 

“Right!” Doctor Phelps snapped his digits as he remember the ‘sacred’ duty he now had to perform. “The usual, Tanis?” he asked, and the rabbit nodded in reply. 

“As always.” 

Dana couldn’t help but smile as the notes of Highway to Hell began playing in the background. She would have preferred something a bit heavier, but this would do. 

“Glazba je lijek za dušu.” she thought to herself, hoping that the old proverb would prove true for the mammal under her care.

Carol huffed in exasperation. She suspected she was already too late to catch Celeste before she went in for surgery but she had to make the effort. When she arrived she was surprised to see Officers Higgins and Talon guarding the access in their tactical armor. Both mammals were part of her usual crop of ZPD students from Precinct 1, and both the hippo and cheetah, nodded towards her as she approached, but their gazes only met hers for an instant, as they went back to scanning the area for threats.

Their focus was...disconcerting to Carol, and the coyote knew that something else must have happened for things to be this tense.

She worked to keep her face neutral, and even tried to force a smile onto her muzzle as she went through all the reasons for such a presence. 

“Spirits, please let everyone be okay,” the thought was first and foremost on her mind as she reached their position.

"What's up?"

"Allen Whitehorse was attacked just after leaving the hospital, so we think the two of them may have been deliberately targeted. He's okay, subdued the shooter." Though they showed pleasure in seeing her, Carol noticed that they didn't look at her directly, never stopped scanning the area. This was being taken very seriously, and a sign that her training was in full force.

The two of them. Two rookie cops, or a pair of preds? Or an interspecies couple? "Where is she?"

"Up on the second floor, east wing, 238. Allen and a few others are with her."

Carol nodded thanks and trotted to the elevator, only managing to wait a pawful of seconds before her hind paw began tapping its impatience of its own accord. While she waited, her mind began to run tactical responses. She always had a keen sense of situational awareness, and though not one to indulge paranoid fantasies, she considered the mammals around her a bit more thoroughly, and how to deal with any of them if something happened.

Arriving at the floor, she approached the floor desk to confirm Celeste's room.

"I'm sorry but she's already in surgery, though her friends ought to be in the waiting area, down the hall and to the right."

Straight down the hall was the entry to the operating rooms, and two officers standing guard. They both stiffened seeing the, obviously agitated, coyote approach, to which she did a little open paws up and pointed to the waiting area where she saw some familiar beasts.

She saw Jefferson and suspected he was Celeste's partner, and there was poor Allen, crashed out in a rather undignified pose across a couple chairs. The Elk and Jaguar were unfamiliar and everyone glanced around for someone to make introductions.

Jefferson recognized Carol, even having never met her previously. Everything from the way she moved, to the way her eyes scanned the room, told him what she was, a powerful warrior with an air of maternal worry overlaid. "Sorry you missed Celeste before she went in, but don't worry, her spirits are strong."

Carol nodded "Ya'at'eeh and thank you." And the two shared a knowing look of knowing a touch of the Old Way. "Celeste's partner, I presume?"

"Aoo'. Tahoma Jefferson, eighteen years at the Fourth."

"Carol Latrans, late of the ZAF, and Celeste's instructor in AMCQC." She let her tone hang as she looked to the other officers for introductions.

“Most of these mammals must be out of the fourth,” she thought, not recognizing any of the mammals present.

"Trudy Winston, twenty years in, with the First now." The Elk Cow smiled, "I'm normally the Pup's partner." Gesturing to the sleeping Wolf, then to the young Jaguar, "And this is my temp, Hector Tailor."

A polite nod to the cat and then a more searching look at the pup.

"How's he doing?" she asked, but her nose had already told her much of what she needed to know. Fear, exhaustion, worry, even in sleep, the wolf was a jumbled mess of emotions…and one that she recognized all too well, and from places she hoped she’d never need to visit again.

"Really tired, but okay. Poor Pup just almost got shot and all he can think of is his mate." Winston gave the youngster a maternal glance.

Carol couldn't resist a hint of a growl, her only having access to hearsay and rumor until now. "Anything on the attempt? Any connection with Celeste?"

"Only have the bare facts so far." Jefferson offered, "But as he was out of uniform as you see him now, the assumption is that he was personally targeted."

Carol snarled at that.

To her, the attack on Celeste was now not just the bad luck of an officer's duty, but must have been a deliberate attack on one of her students and fellow coyote. And now, a further attack on Celeste's mate, perhaps because he was her mate, a wolf like her precious David, evoked a simmering visceral rage.

While she would never recognize it, her martial prowess, her intensity of action, came out of a deep sense of maternal protection. In combat, she would have insisted it was just the devotion to one's fellow troops. Now as a trainer, she was preparing her students to be able to better face the threats they might confront, but, at the heart of it all, it was the instinctual drive to defend those that she cared for; those she loved, that could evoke the full extent of her terrible skills.

But all she could do in the moment is look at the face of the young wolf. It was the look of deep exhaustion and more, too much like Dave on a particularly bad day. Mammals like them would give of themselves until there was nothing left, and she had seen the consequences more times than she would like. The memory hurt like a physical wound, and she started to reach out towards the sleeping wolf. 

There was a wiggle to his nose, a sniff, and he jerked awake, glancing around for the source.

"I'm sorry Allen, but it’s just me." Realizing that Allen’s wolfish nose had picked up on her scent, or more correctly on the scent of a coyote.

"Oh. Hello Ma'am," He began as his brain worked to catch up from the sprint that his heart had just made, thinking that Celeste was there. He tried not to look too disappointed. "It will be a good while until Celeste gets out of surgery. But I've been assured that she's getting the very best care."

"Glad to hear it,” she said with a knowing glint in her eye. She had been quite serious when she told Dave that she wanted a full debriefing when he got home, and she already knew the various strings that her wolf had pulled to ensure that Celeste was in the most capable paws in the city.

For now though, her concern was for the young wolf in front of her, “But how are you doing, Allen?"

"Tired. Worried." And he pointed to the general direction of the surgical suit.

"Uhhh." Carol rather pointedly prompted, pantomiming a pistol firing with her paw. She was somewhat unsure if Allen didn’t want to speak about the attack he had suffered, or simply didn’t think it was important while Celeste was in surgery.

“My money’s on the latter,” she though, and only just managed to avoid rolling her eyes at the male. Allen and Dave were so alike in many ways, even though their backgrounds couldn’t be more different. The thought of placing themselves above others was a foreign concept to them both. Even years of her mercurial nature hadn’t heardened her wolf’s heart, and she saw that this would also be the case for Patrolmammal Whitehorse.

Allen sighed. "Not much to tell. Some wolf pulled a gun; I disarmed and secured him until backup arrived." He shrugged, "It was pretty much text book. But did have me start thinking about getting some extra training."

Carol couldn’t help but chuckle at the wolf’s words, and she nodded in agreement.

“Once all this is taken care of, I expect to see you at the Salle at the first opportunity you get.” A smile was slowly working its way across her muzzle as she spoke, although those who knew her well would be doing all they could to warn the young wolf that he needed to run as far away as he could. “It will give Celeste a chance to show what she’s been learning over the past few weeks.”

Allen shivered slightly as he registered the danger on a subconscious level, but for now, his focus returned to to door that kept Celeste and him apart; as he once again began counting out the seconds as he waited for news. 

Carol, must have seen or smelled the change in him as worry once again became the focus of his attention, and the smaller canid, rested a paw on his shoulder. 

“Celeste will be fine, Allen,” Carol said, and he could hear the conviction in her voice, but the fear was still there, and the older coyote sighed and took a seat beside him. “You know she’s stronger than she thinks, and really, she is stronger than most mammals would believe, but we coyotes have always thrived on the fringe of society, and that takes a special kind of mammal.”

Allen looked over at Carol, and the trainer shrugged, the calm expression never leaving her face.

Carol had to laugh at the wolf’s confused expression, and she motioned towards her own form. “Come on, Whitehorse. We’re not the biggest, we’re not the strongest, but we’ve always been able to find a niche...some little corner of the map where we carve out something of our own.”

She reached out and took one of Allen’s paws in her own. “I’m pretty sure that Celeste has found her corner of the map, and it will be up to the two of you to make it your own.” 

Allen took a moment to consider the other canid’s words, and he surprised himself when a quiet laugh escaped his muzzle. 

“She’s right.” he thought to himself, as he considered the coyote’s words, but he couldn’t completely rid himself of the worry and fear that recent events had allowed to take root in his psyche. 

The smile on his muzzle faded slightly as he glanced around the waiting room before he returned his focus to Carol, “This corner of the map doesn’t really seem like the safest place right now, Carol.” 

The smile never left the older canine’s face as she squeezed Allen’s paw once again, “Finding your place in this world is only the first step,” she said, and Allen’s ears twitched as the trainer’s words took on a more serious tone. “Life doesn’t offer much for free, Allen. More often than not, making that place your own means fighting to keep it that way.” 

Carol motioned towards the other ZPD mammals who were there to offer what support they could. “Just remember, you and Celeste are not alone. Not now, not ever.”

A few of the other officers nodded their heads in agreement, and Allen couldn’t help but notice the steel present in the eyes of Jefferson and Winston. Carol was right. 

He and Celeste were not alone. The wait would still be a long one, but everyone here were there for Celeste...were there for both of them. 

The fear and worry he felt, couldn’t completely be dispelled, but it did retreat and it wasn’t long before Allen once again gave into his exhaustion, and sleep claimed him. This time however, the knowledge that he and Celeste were not alone, finally made real sleep and healing a possibility.

Carol remained seated beside Allen until she saw his face relax, and his breathing became measured and regular, as sleep finally claimed the young wolf. She looked out into the hall, and caught the gaze of one of the nurses who was keeping an eye on the ZPD, and silently mouthed the word ‘Blanket’ at the female bobcat, while motioning towards Whitehorse with her free paw.

The nurse nodded in understanding, and quickly retrieved a light comforter, appropriately sized for Allen. 

As had been the case from when she had first arrived, her instincts were telling her that there was more to the staff’s concern than simple duty, but that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. 

With the bobcat’s help, the two managed to drape the cloth over Allen’s sleeping form. Their actions had not gone unnoticed by the other ZPD officers, and as one the various mammals lowered their voices, to try and give the young wolf a chance to rest. 

Once she was sure that Allen was settled in, she quickly checked the time, and sighed when she realized that she needed to head into the Salle. After making one final check of the room, she took a moment to look over the sleeping wolf, once again seeing the many parallels between Allen and Dave, but for now, she knew that the wolf was in good paws.

Tahoma must have noticed her preparations, and he met her half way out of the waiting room. The two of them had no need for words at this moment, and after clasping paws, the look that passed between the two of them was clear to anyone watching.

The two mammal’s parted after a shared glance back towards Allen’s sleeping form, seeing that Winston had already moved closer to her partner, her concern still written on her face. 

Knowing that the ZPD would keep an eye on both Allen and Celeste, Carol made her way out of the waiting area. She would be back later than evening...once she managed to drag her wolf away from his microscope at least, but for now duty needed to reassert itself. 

"Officer Whitehorse?"

Allen grimaced as he began to stir, his body finally forcing him to get at least some of the rest it needed. It only took him a moment for him to remember where he was, and his eyes snapped open, as a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins. "Yes!" he nearly yelled as he threw himself to his feet, startling the rabbit orderly who had been trying to wake him.

The buck hopped backwards slightly, but quickly had a smile form on his muzzle when he noticed the concern plainly evidence on Allen’s face.

"Ms. Whitefoot is coming out of surgery in just a moment." he stated, and motioned for Allen to follow him.

As Allen passed by several other ZPD officers, he felt more than one paw clasp onto his shoulder, or simply give him a respectful nod as a sign of support, but his attention was focused on one thing, and one thing only.

The orderly led Allen back to the same door that had separated him from Celeste earlier, and the wolf couldn’t help but be nervous as he waited to see his mate again.

He wasn’t kept waiting long, as the door swiftly opened, and his eyes immediately sought out Celeste’s form on the almost comically large class E gurney.

Though most of the left side of her face had been shaved, thank goodness that Allen had been warned, the bandages over the wounds and related surgery were rather minimal. It was both reassuring and a bit distressing, in that the extensive bruising from the hydrostatic shock of the bullet wound was all too visible. Then there was the swelling, both from the injury and the small balloons Doctor White had described that morning. For the moment, the disfigurement was a bit much to take, but with the reassurances from before, it was tolerable.

A middle aged arctic fox, looked up when Allen began to approach, and had a quiet chuckle, as he made a quick check on his patient. 

“And you would be Ms. Whitefoot’s mate, I presume,” he said, offering his paw to the larger canid, “I’m Doctor Phelps, Celeste’s anaesthesiologist, and I must say that she was certainly eager to return to the waking world.”

The physician’s words were well timed as, although Celeste's eyes were not yet fully open or focused, her nose already quested for her mate. "Allen? Puppy?" Celeste murmured, the words coming out slurred, both from the lingering anaesthetic, but also from the various bandages, wraps, and orthodontic contraptions that had been brought to bare in her recovery. She struggled to try and raise an arm, but could only manage an uncoordinated flop and flail.

"Here I am, here I am." Her wolf murmured as he nuzzled the intact side of her face, cupping her head with his paws. She whimpered and clutched at his paws, noisily sniffling his scent for reassurance.

Celeste had a thin mouth guard to keep her from clenching or grinding her teeth, and made her speech a bit slurred beyond her clearly still drugged condition. "Yummy puppy!" She was able to enunciate. "I wanna taste you so bad. My tongue, your tongue..."

Allen tried to shush her. "In time, in time, quiet now." And he gave her a few tender laps across her face and then nibble-groomed her ear for a moment. "You just relax now and we'll all be taking care of you." Oh Glob, what would everyone think about that.

He glanced around at the various witnesses. Several of the other mammals present gave him understanding looks, atavistic grooming behaviour between parent and young or a well-mated couple was still very much a thing among the myriad of species that called Zootopia home. There were a few colleagues who were making it a point to not look at the couple as they tried to hide their own embarrassment, such behavior being considered a more private and intimate gesture for them.

Sensing his glance away, Celeste again whimpered for attention. "Puppy Woof, where? Don't leave." And there was more snuffling and licking. As a few laps strayed towards her shaven side of her face, she began to cry outright. "NO! I'm so ugly! Don't touch me!" And she feebly attempted to push Allan away while uttering a shrill coyote keen.

"No, no, no!" Allen scrambled onto the gurney and wrapped himself around the struggling little Coyote. "Hush. Hush. Everything's fine." He stroked her head and and nuzzled her. "It's just the drugs talking. You're a little bit of a mess right now but you'll be fine."

Celeste gasped and paused in her struggle. "Never leave me?" She pleaded.

"Of course not." Allan's glance flicked to the medical staff around him, and he found some comfort in their understanding of the situation; smiles and some reassuring nods coming from all of them.

Doctor Phelps’ smile never left his muzzle as he watched the reunited couple’s impromptu...and somewhat impaired reunion, "She ought to settle down in just a little while, so no harm in this, although she might not remember much about anything for the next half hour or so, and if you’re willing to take advice from someone who sees this regularly, do not bring up anything she says or does for a long, long time...if ever."

The seriousness of the fox’s tone was belied by the amused twinkle in his eyes. Gesturing to the pair, he continued. "She's going to need some serious sleep soon after all this." And with a wink, "As will you."

Allen grimaced just a touch with that. As much as he loathed to leave her, especially after all the drama of the last little more than a day, he really needed to get clean and maybe, just maybe, a few hours in his own bed. But not yet. His best beloved was still agitated, and even knowing it was just the drugs talking didn't make it any less distressful.

Doctor Phelps saw Allen’s expression darken slightly, and he reached out to place a paw on the wolf’s arm...him being unable to reach the taller mammal’s shoulder. 

“I know first paw how hard this can be,” the fox said, lowering his voice to keep this as a private moment, “but you’re not going to be able to help her, if you let yourself fall apart.”

The physician took a step back, and motioned for the orderlies to get Celeste settled into her room. He did spare one more look towards Allen, and the fox winked knowingly at the wolf, “There’s a reason why I made sure to have a larger bed for Ms. Whitefoot. Just make sure to let her get as much rest as you can.”

Allen’s eyes widened at the physician’s words, and his eyes jumped between Dr. Phelps, Celeste, and their ZPD comrades. He couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to his face, and there were a few muffled chuckles from the assembled mammals. 

The arctic fox rolled his eyes at Allen’s reaction. “That’s not what I meant, Mr. Whitehorse,” he said with an unabashed bark of laughter, shaking his head at the two canids, and he motioned towards their clasped paws, which not even Allen’s shock could lessen.

“Physical contact is essential for most of our kind,” he explained before his gaze took on a more serious tone as he looked towards Allen, “but only light contact, Officer.You both need rest, and unless I’m mistaken, you’ll both feel safer with each other.”

The doctor’s explanation caused another round of quiet laughter to echo from the supporting mammals, while Celeste took the opportunity to rest the uninjured portion of her face against Allen’s arm.

Seeing that the confusion had abated, Dr. Phelps nodded towards Celeste and Allen once more, before he turned on his heels, and started back towards the operating rooms, already mentally preparing himself for the next procedure on his schedule. Snapping his digits as he remembered one final detail, he called back over his shoulder, “Oh, I almost forgot! Doctors White and Packard will be by to check in on Ms. Whitefoot in a little while. If you have any concerns, just let them, or any of the staff know, and one of us will be right on it.”

With that, there was little more to do than get Celeste settled, and for Allen to do whatever he could to help his puppy recover. 

For the hospital staff, their reaction had evolved to a tender sympathy for the poor addled girl and her stalwart mate.

Danika stretched both arms over her head, not even caring at the staccato series of pops that could be heard throughout the staff lounge. Partially, this was because the only other mammal in the room, had performed the same act only a few moments ago, but more importantly, every staffmammal knew how the two physicians felt at that moment. 

“Za ovo je prestara,” she mumbled ruefully, and Amanda glanced back towards her while she waited for the coffee machine to finish brewing so they both could get a hit of caffeine that was desperately needed at the moment.

“I have no idea what you just said, but I second the thought,” the golden jackal moved her head in a circular motion, trying to get her abused neck muscles back into some semblance of normalcy. “Just over seven hours,” Amanda shrugged as she thought back on the procedure. “It’s nowhere near the longest procedure, but it still feels good to be able to move again.”

An electronic beep heralded the arrival of some caffeine at least, and both surgeons were soon seated with steaming mugs in their paws, while they looked out the window, and took in the never ending humm of the city..

As she took a sizable sip, Dana couldn’t help but laugh as Amanda made a valiant attempt to down the entire mug in a single go.

The golden jackal’s face scrunched up with distaste, when she lowered the mug, and after giving her head a shake, she waved a dismissive paw at Dana. “This stuff is good only as a stimulant. The faster I get it in, the less I have to actually taste it.”

Dana had to agree with her colleagues assessment, but couldn’t bring herself to follow suit. Instead, she looked over he colleague, “You didn’t have to stay for the whole procedure, Amanda.” Dana said, and she laughed when the jackal rolled her eyes at the statement. 

“I don’t like leaving my patients in someone else’s paws, no matter how skilled they are, if I can help it.” she replied raising her mug slightly in salute to her colleague before gritting her teeth and downing the rest of the brew.

Dana couldn’t help but laugh, and motioned out the window again, this time pointing downward, towards the Honeywell Centre, “So, what did you do to get banned from next door?” 

Amanda shrugged and sighed, “I didn’t take the warning about Laura’s stash seriously.”

“Ne sreća brzo dođe a polako ode,” she said with a laugh, but she still shuddered at the memory of the tongue lashing she had received from the ferret cardiologist. For a small mammal, Dr. Pawson more than made up for lack of height with a wickedly barbed tongue. “It was the same with me. Zabranjeni plod uvijek ima cijenu.”

Looking at the wall mounted clock, Dana made a face before downing the rest of her coffee. After giving herself a shake, she looked over to her colleague, “Well, shall we look in on our patient?”

The jackal nodded, and the two physicians exited the lounge after making a quick inspection of each other to ensure that there were no tell-tale spots of blood on their scrubs or their fur. 

“Ms. Whitefoot’s should be awake by now,” Amanda stated, as she brought up the coyote’s chart, “but she’s probably going to be pretty loopy even though Jordan only has her on a seemingly mild dose of oxycodone, it’s actually a pretty hefty one for a mammal her size.”

Danika shrugged, “It can’t be helped, and she’s going to need it when the nerve block starts to wear off. Ice packs and aspirin won’t cut it once the lido wears off.” The wolf looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyebrows raised as something occurred to her. “Did Jordan leave any instructions for Celeste to avoid using her jaw at all until the nerve block wears off?”

Amanda eyes widened at the question, and she quickly scrolled through the notes included in the chart, a wince cresting her muzzle as she shook her head. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“Nikada ne kiše, samo ulijeva,” she said to herself and brought up a paw to massage her suddenly throbbing head. The nerve block would do just that for the young officer, and she would indeed not feel any pain from moving her newly rebuilt jaw...until it wore off. She knew that she had mentioned it to Officer Whitehorse, but given the...ensuing drama, the odds are that the instructions would be out of sight, out of mind.

“I’ll ping Jordan, and have him check in on her in a couple of hours,” Amanda said as she fired off a brief email to her colleague. “And I’ll also make sure there some oxymorphone close by if it’s needed.”

Dana sighed but nodded in agreement. She didn’t like using the stronger opioids unless it was necessary for the patient’s recovery...which it might be in this case.

“Maybe we’ll be lucky.” she thought to herself as the two physicians made their way to Celeste’s room.

“...Jebati!”

The single word from Dana when they arrived at Celeste’s room summed up the situation quite nicely, as she ran a paw over her eyes in resignation.

Even without knowing the actual meaning of the wod, Amanda couldn’t help but laugh at Danika’s reaction. Their patient had indeed recovered from the general anaesthetic, and was apparently in the midst of a...rather vigorous grooming session with her mate.

Fortunately, Officer Whitehorse was the one doing the most of the grooming, and as the two physicians watched...along with the assembled ZPD officers present to support their colleagues, the wolf and coyote were alternating between simple nuzzling and scent marking of each other, followed by Allen gently grooming Celeste with paws and tongue.

The coyote was trying to do the same to her mate, but it appeared that she was at least somewhat aware of her condition, as her own ministrations were nowhere near as...energetic as the wolf’s. It was something that normally have been a private moment for the two lovers, but aside from some uncomfortable glances from their comrades, it would appear that they all understood the importance of such an act. 

For Celeste and Allen, it was a way for them to comfort each other, and given the troubling events of the past day, the surgeons knew first paw just how essential this was for their bond. 

After a moment, Dana shook her head at the scene. “Ah, to be young and in love. O ni su izgubljeni za sve osim sebe .” She kept her voice quiet not wanting to disturb the pair...for a few more seconds at least.

Shaking her head at the pair’s antics, Amanda couldn’t help by reminisce about her own experiences, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that far gone?”

Looking askance at her colleague, and gave a snort of laughter, “I don’t know what you were up to in college, but I can accurately state that, yes, yes I was…and I very much enjoyed it at the time.”

The words prompted a thankfully muffled laugh from the golden jackal, who then shook her head both in amusement...but also in reproach. 

“Well, we can’ just stand here all day,” Amanda stated, and she moved towards the pair, “I just got that muzzle back together!” she stated in mock annoyance to Celeste, “At least give it a chance to heal.” 

The comment drew chuckles from around the room, and both Allen and Celeste separated with a start. The pair looked towards the two physicians, but only then realized that they had a larger audience than they realized. 

The visible areas of their skin blushed at the revelation, but after a resigned sigh, they separated, only refusing to let go of each other’s paw.

Dana simply laughed at the pair, and looked around the room and its occupants, before settling her gaze on her patient, “So, would you like to hear about how things went?”

Allen and Celeste looked towards each other, silently gauging each other’s opinion.

The young coyote looked back towards Dana and Amanda, and nodded her head, to which there was a quiet cough from a large puma, who motioned for the various mammals visiting to give the pair some space.

“We will just be outside, ’Adeezhi,” Tahoma stated, as he gave the two doctors a respectful nod before ushering the group out of the room. 

Amanda pulled two chairs over from the wall, to allow her and Danika to sit. Once everyone was settled, she turned her tablet to face the two canids before speaking.

“The procedures went perfectly, I’m glad to say,” she motioned over to Dana, who nodded in agreement.

“There’s still a long way to go, mali lovac,” Dana cautioned, “but there were no surprises, and we can move forward using the original plan we discussed.”

“Overall, the next steps will mostly be about letting your body repair some of the damage on its own before Dr. White and I will step back in and take a more paws on approach…”

The two surgeons had gone over seemingly every detail for Celeste’s upcoming treatment, and had provided the young coyote with a long list of post-operative instructions. She wouldn’t be ready to leave the hospital for another few days, but overall this was the best news that the couple had heard since the initial attack.

While Celeste had tried to follow along with the discussion, the mental haze that lingered on made it nearly impossible to keep up, and the extra effort that she valiantly tried devote to the conversation only had the effect of exhausting her all the more quickly. 

Without conscious thought, che curled up against Allen, who had moved to sit beside her on the oversized bed when the two surgeons had started going over the details of the procedure. Allen looked over at his mate, and started to move a paw towards Celeste’s shoulder to gently try and bring her around for just a little longer, when he noticed Doctor Packard waving him off, while Doctor White stood and retrieved a blanket from the storage area just under the gurney. 

“Let her get some sleep,” the jackal said with a smile on her muzzle as she watched her colleague proceeded to drape the cloth over both canids. 

The she-wolf looked Allen in the eye, “That goes for you too, Officer Whitehorse. Doctor’s orders!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the tone used by Doctor White, but the exhaustion from the day’s events had taken a toll on him as well, and he nodded towards the two physicians before getting himself settled.

Just before he was about to close his eyes, he saw Jefferson hold the door open for the two doctors, before he and and the white wolf who had “escorted” Dr. Edwards from the hospital earlier. When the wolf noticed that Allen was looking at him, he gave his fellow officer a thumbs up with his paw, before he took up a silent vigil with Celeste’s partner.

The events from the day had been a chaotic mess overall, but for now, he and Celeste were safe, and they had a lot of mammals who would make sure they stayed that way.

With this knowledge, it didn’t take long before Allen drifted off to sleep, his arms lightly wrapped around Celeste’s middle. For a few hours at least, the two canids were in a world all to themselves, while others took up a silent vigil to make sure that they could stay that way.

Coming on to end of shift, Hopps called it in, "Okay, Base, Unit 442. We’re fifteen minutes out, the traffic on the freeway feeders is particularly awful at the moment. Over."

"Roger that 442. Can't offer you a better route at the moment. Over."

"Base, can you tell me who got attacked this morning? We've been good, so are likely the last unit out who doesn't know by now. Over."

"I hear you 442. It was Whitehorse, right after he left the hospital for a few. He's okay and all. He's through his initial debrief and is back at the hospital. Over."

Nichole and Julius shared a shocked "WHAT!?" at that.

Forgetting normal comm procedure, Julius cut his call to base and pulled out his 'phone. "Damnit! And nobody told us!" He pounded the keys. "Winston, pick up, pick up!" And he glanced over at Nichole. She was driving for a change and was in an angry puff, a death grip on the wheel.

"Hopps, wondered when we'd hear from you?"

"Yeah, we only now heard it was him! What's happening?"

"Well beyond Allan's 'fun' this morning, Celeste has been through her first round of surgery and everything looks good here."

"Okay, we're coming over. Be there in - awk!" As Nichole did a rather hairy U-turn and hit the unit's lights. "Okay, we'll be there or die in the next few minutes."

After belatedly informing dispatch that they were heading to the hospital, Nichole and Julius shared some angry and anxious expressions. "You okay?" Julius asked.

Nichole bit her lip. "I'm not fine." She said with a bit of a sniff. "The poor pups has been through too much already, and that Allen's been attacked too can't be a coincidence." Said somewhere between rage and tears.

"Yeah." Julius muttered. "And while the whole rest of the ZPD has been on the case, we've been scolding illegal U-turns and busting jaywalkers."

Thankfully for the Rabbit's nerves and the safety of the collective automotive public of Zootopia, they quickly arrived at the hospital. Approaching the entrance, they first saw Higgins and Talon guarding the entrance, and both mammals gave brief waves to their colleagues. Another pair of mammals in ZPD uniforms were just exiting the hospital, and recognizing one of them, from Precinct 4.

Nichole picked up the pace, and looked towards the familiar tiger. "Williams, were you guys here for Whitefoot and Whitehorse?" Nichole gasped.

"Yeah." the larger mammal said, while he gave a calm down gesture to the agitated pair. "Celeste came out of surgery a bit ago and the two of them are settling down for recovery." Said with a knowing smile.

"What room? Where!?"

"Room 238,” the second officer stated, and the wolf pointed back towards the hospital, his paw vaguely indicating where Celeste but like I said, they're pretty much done for now."

He offered his paw to the pair, “James Taylor, out of the fourth.”

Nichole and Julius each returned the wolf’s gesture, but Nicole was quickly bundling Julius off towards the elevator. “Nichole Wilde, and Julius Hopps, from Precinct 1”, she called back over her shoulder.

The four ZPD officers shared amused glances with each other, before Higgins shrugged, "The worried parents." was all he said, and th comment was met with nods and eye rolls.

Then, when inside, they stopped again, seeing yet another security detail watching over things. "What's up?"

"Where have you been?" Officer Zephyr grumped, as he fidgeted slightly, trying to make his tactical harness less intrusive. The cheetah disliked having to wear the heavier tactical gear, even with is position in T.U.S.K., he preferred to keep himself mobile in a fight, but given recent events, he recognized the necessity of the additional armor.

After a moment, he sighed and motioned deeper into the hospital before looking back at the two newcomers. "Best guess is that they were both targeted, so we have extra security throughout the hospital for them." Hopps hissed and Wilde growled, loudly, at that. "Yeah, that was about Carol's reaction too. She was by this morning, glad she cancelled classes, though. I don’t think any sane mammal would want to get anywhere near that ‘Yote until she calms down."

Julius had to stifle a little snort of a laugh at that, but Nichole only shot everyone a dirtier look.

Then, when they arrived on the floor, Nichole could barely resist running down the hall, seeing the knot of ZPD officers in the distance, presumably in front of her Coyote's room. "Calm down, Nicky!" Julius gasped, which helped make Nichole pull up short. She always reacted to that that nickname, not always in a positive fashion, and it was just the sharp shock she needed to refocus.

The pair trotted up to the crowd, a bit out of breath, and together gasped, "What did we miss?"

 

The parking lot just outside the modern office building was almost empty. This wasn’t a surprise, as the normal 9-5 wage slaves would have already departed for the day; either slinking back home to enjoy a few hours of freedom, or heading out to wash away their plight in any number of watering hole the district housed.

One vehicle bucked this trend however, as a white, featureless van turned into the lot, and backed into one of the spaces about halfway to the building itself. A female wolf sitting in the driver’s seat, looked back towards her passengers, 4 male wolves. The largest of them possessed a pitch black fur that seemed to blend into the shadow of the van as he crouched at the rear of the vehicle, alongside two wolves who were nearly mirror images of each other, with the alternating patches of grey and brown fur showing a nearly impossible symmetry. 

The last wolf, did not share his packmate’s excitement regarding the nights...entertainment. He was considerably younger than the other wolves, and was seated near the front of the van, obviously trying to keep as much distance between himself and the other males. She wasn’t the only one to notice this, and the alpha bared his teeth in a wordless snarl, that caused the youth to whine, and drop his gaze to the floor of the van before crawling over to the others. 

The driver shook her head at the display, but she knew that they were on a tight schedule. 

“Были здесь,” she said, and the largest of the wolves nodded as he opened the rear door, as he hopped out onto the asphalt, motioning for his packmates to exit with him. 

As they did so, he focused his gaze on their driver, while directing the rest of the wolves to start heading towards the building with his free paw. 

“Держите двигатель в рабочем состоянии,” he had a smirk on his muzzle and he chuckled quietly as he thought about the fun to come. “Это не займет много времени.”

After shutting the van’s rear door, he made his way towards an opaque glass door with the letters AMCQC on its surface the only markings that could be seen.

As they approached the door, the pack scanned the building for any signs of life, their ears and noses twitching as they worked to identify any threats.

“У тебя есть это?” one of his wolves asked over his shoulder.

Rolling his eyes, the alpha reached into his jacket, retrieving a plain RFID card, and waved it at the twins, “Да, прямо здесь.”

The other twin smiled, and cracked his knuckles in anticipation, before cocking he head to the side as a thought occurred to him, “Вы уверены, что внутри будет только одно млекопитающее?”

It was his brother who laughed at the question, and he gave a snort of derision when he replied, 

“Да, только какой-то женский койот, который не знает ее места. Не о чем беспокоиться. Мы заходим, получаем оружие, и если есть время, мы немного поиграем с ней.” and the three older wolves all joined in the laugh, with only the youth not sharing in the mirth. 

The leader once again glared at the young wolf, but limited his chastisement to just that...for now, and motioned towards the door, allowing a cruel smile to form on his muzzle as he did so.

“Хорошо, тогда начнем веселиться,” he stated as he tapped the card on the sensor plate, and pulled the door open. “Эта сука должна узнать ее место!”

End Notes:

Yes, we’re evil, and decided to end this chapter with another cliffhanger, but for now, it’s Science Time!

Cosmetic Surgery vs Plastic Surgery:

While it may seem that these two areas are similar, this is actually not the case. Plastic surgery is a highly specialized area in medicine, requiring that the physician go through about 5-6 years of additional residency training before they can be certified.

Cosmetic surgery is very different. While plastic surgery is a board recognized field of medicine, cosmetic surgery is not. The only requirement is that the physician have completed medical school, as well as their residency training, which is preferably a surgical one. There is no cosmetic surgery residency, but there is also a key difference between the two fields.

A cosmetic surgeon’s job is to make it so that, when you look in the mirror, you smile.

A plastic surgeon’s job is to make sure when you look in the mirror, you don’t cry.

That’s the big divide. Plastic surgery is very much focused on reconstructive procedures, while cosmetic surgery generally is an elective procedure, and under most circumstances, the procedures are not considered medically necessary.

 

Anaesthesia: This is actually a very interesting topic for Zootopia, as the range of mammals would make it far more complicated than is the case for us. Regardless of the species being treated, there are a range of anesthesia methods that can be used, but they can be grouped into 4 main categories:

Local: This is the least invasive type of anesthesia, and normally only involves the use of a nerve block to allow a small portion of the patient to be treated. Drugs such as novocaine, or lidocaine are used, and if you’ve ever has a cavity filled, this is this is the form of anaesthesia used.  
Regional: This is basically a scaled up version of local anesthesia, and rather than a small area, this procedure can render an entire region of the body numb,allowing for larger procedures to be performed. An epidural is often used to control pain in women giving birth. The anesthetic is injected into the spine, and this causes the woman to become numb from the waist down.   
Procedural Sedation (Twilight Sedation): This is where things get more complicated as, in addition to some kind of analgesic, a sedative is also used. One of the more common drugs for this is midazolam (Versed), and the effects are quite pronounced. While the patient remains conscious, and can speak and answer questions, the medication has several effects which help to make the procedure more comfortable for the patient. One of the key benefits is that midazolam is an amnesic, and as such the patient generally remembers nothing of the procedure.  
General Anesthesia: This one most people are familiar with, and involves inducing unconsciousness in the patient, followed by the administration of analgesics to help manage any pain. The use of a paralytic like vecuronium bromide, is also very common. This has several benefits for the patient, and the surgeon. Even when unconscious, it is possible for the patient to move or twitch suddenly, but also remember that things like the intestines will keep on working, and having the patient’s organs moving around during surgery is not a good idea. A real risk when using a paralytic is that, while the heart is unaffected, the lungs are, and the patient will be incapable of breathing on their own until the drug wears off. This is why, most patients will have a tube inserted down the trachea, to allow for mechanical ventilation (using a machine to breath for the patient.

Over all, it’s a complex procedure, and there’s a good reason why there will usually be an anaesthesiologist monitoring the patient from induction to emergence, and during the procedure they administer a range of medications to ensure that the patient feels nothing, and remembers nothing of the surgery.

In Zootopia, there would need to be many more anaesthetics in use simply due to the fact that there is quite a bit of variability in drug sensitivity between species, and which ones to use is going to be critical.

As an example, opioids are a class of pain medication that are used across all aspects of medicine. Morphine, is pretty much the benchmark for the other medications in the same class...and the strength of their effects can vary wildly.

Currently there is a crisis of sorts involving several synthetic opioids, being used for illicit use. In the past few years, the use of fentanyl has increased significantly, and the number of addicts overdosing as a result have been climbing for quite a while. 

Fentanyl is in the same class as morphine, but is about 100 times stronger than morphine, and it can also be synthesized in bulk at a very low cost, particularly when compared the heroin. As a result, it’s become common for drug dealers to mix fentanyl with something like heroin, but do to the increased strength, it’s easy to overdose. In the event of an overdose, the victim can be saved if prompt action is taken, particularly if someone can administer something like Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. 

One thing that I encourage everyone to do is check and see if there is a program where you live that can provide Naloxone kits for free, or at least at a greatly reduced price. This medication comes in the form of an injectable liquid, or a nasal spray, and I am not joking when I write that this medication is easy to administer, and saves lives. 

One final note here, as there are some other drugs that are utterly terrifying. You may have heard or read that, in addition to fentanyl, drugs like carfentanil have also started showing up in street drugs. 

...This is a very bad thing. 

While fentanyl is about 100X stronger than morphine, carfentanil is 10,000X stronger. To give you an idea of just how strong carfentanil is, a 10mg dose is enough to sedate an adult elephant, and at that level it can even be lethal. 

...think about that for a moment. All it takes is 10mg, only 1/100th of a gram, and something so small that in a desiccated form, you wouldn't be able to see it unless you knew where to loo. Now compare the mass of an elephant with that of a human.

In toxicology, one measure of the risk for any given medication is the LD50 (Lethal Dose 50%). It’s mainly determined by treating animals such as mice, rats, or dogs until you find the dose where half of the test subjects die, hence the 50 in the name.

As humans are particularly sensitive to opioids, we’re already behind the 8 ball in a way...so much so that we didn’t even bother to work out the LD50 for the drug. Fortunately, it is not absorbed well by the skin, but for first responders, getting even a small grain of it in the mouth or eye can cause an overdose.

It’s also the only chemical I’ve ever worked with that had some very...unique safety requirements.

In most labs, protective equipment takes the form of lab coats, gloves, respirators, and safety glasses. Depending on the properties of whatever compound you happen to be studying at that time, you may need to work within a fume hood, but that’s normally the extent of the safety measures.

...Not for carfentanil.

The recommendation?

Have someone in the lab with you, and for them to maintain a line of sight for the duration of the work....and they should have several doses of Naloxone on hand.

Yeah, that’s kinda nuts.


End file.
